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Women’s cricket has gone up a few levels in 2025 and teams have been stronger and more viewership are coming in. This has been a record breaking year as the Women’s World Cup 2025 had its highest prize money and broke all viewership records as India Women managed to clinch the title. There were many stand out stars this year such and two players who went toe to toe were Smriti Mandhana and Laura Wolvaardt. But as we reach the end of the year all things point towards Laura Wolvaardt being Women’s Cricketer of the Year for 2025.
Laura Wolvaardt not only led South Africa to Final but continued her dream run with the bat in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, adding another feather to her cap in that tournament. Wolvaardt went past Alyssa Healy’s record to hold the title for the most runs in a single edition of the Women’s ODI World Cup. Her tally of 571 runs is the most ever by any Women’s cricketer, overtaking Healy’s 509 from the 2021/22 edition in New Zealand, where the Australian opener averaged 56.55.
Wolvaardt’s remarkable consistency has also seen her script two more records in the ICC showpiece event. She now holds the record for the most 50-plus scores in Women’s ODI World Cup history with 14, surpassing India’s Mithali Raj, who had 13. She has also equalled the record for the most 50-plus scores in a single edition of the tournament equalling New Zealand’s Debbie Hockley, Australia’s Ellyse Perry, and her own previous mark.
When it comes to T20I, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt’s record-breaking century helped her team crush Ireland by 105 runs at Newlands, Cape Town. Wolvaardt scored an unbeaten 115* (56) smashing 15 fours and four sixes in her innings to help South Africa post a massive score of 220/2 in their allotted 20 overs which is their highest ever score in T20s.
Laura Wolvaardt surpassed her team mate Lizelle Lee’s 59-ball century against Thailand at the 2020 T20 World Cup. Wolvaardt also joined an elite group of ten Full Member players with multiple women’s T20I hundreds, having earlier scored a century in 2024.
In 2025, Laura Wolvaardt scored 1174 runs in 21 ODI matches at an average of 61 and amassed 5 centuries. She scored 190 runs in 5 T20I matches which also includes a century. She has been terrific across all formats and has led South Africa Women with both her batting and leadership which makes her the Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2025.
