Just over ten years ago, Wolvaardt made her senior South African debut in the first One-Day International against England at the age of just 16. The match, played on 7 February 2016 at Willowmoore Park, was won by seven wickets by England via the DLS method. On that occasion she was dismissed for five, but what followed has been nothing short of remarkable, as she has grown into arguably the finest batter across all formats in the women’s game.

In comparison, the legendary all-rounder Jacques Kallis scored just one run on his Test debut for the Proteas against England in Durban in 1995 - and it’s well documented what he went on to achieve in his illustrious career.

Wolvaardt has since amassed 5,477 runs in 122 Women’s One-Day Internationals, 2,286 runs in 86 Women’s T20 Internationals, and 255 runs in four Women’s Tests. To add to that, she has taken 68 catches across all formats, underlining her value in the field as well.

Wolvaardt said the past decade has flown by as her game has evolved and matured.

“It’s crazy – I can’t believe it’s been 10 years already,” said Wolvaardt.

“The last four or five years have been so busy they’ve gone by in an absolute flash. I still remember being a 16-year-old making my debut in Benoni and just being happy to get a game.

Laura Wolvaardt and Annerie Dercksen - Morgan Piek

“To now have played for my country for 10 years is super special.”

Wolvaardt added that her longevity and success in the game all boil down to her genuine love for cricket, and she hopes there are many more productive seasons ahead.

“I’ve always just loved cricket and loved spending hours practising and batting, and I think that’s helped my game evolve a lot,” said the world’s leading batter in WODI cricket.

“At 16, I probably didn’t have much power – I had a cover drive and was quite one-dimensional, and I’m not sure I was fully ready for international cricket yet.

Laura Wolvaardt - Cricinfo

“Since then, I’ve worked on opening up different areas of the field, getting stronger and improving my power-hitting.

“I really like the way my game has developed, and it’s exciting knowing there’s still so much room to improve over the next 10 years.”

Friday night’s crucial second T20 International between South Africa and Pakistan at Willowmoore Park is scheduled to get underway at 18:00, with another big Benoni crowd expected to get behind their skipper as she marks a special milestone.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport