Starc, who was named Player of the Series in Australia’s 4-1 Ashes victory, claimed 16 wickets at an average of 21.25 in December, while also scoring 139 runs across three Tests during the month.

The standout performance was a Player of the Match effort in the second Test in Brisbane, where he finished with eight wickets and struck a vital 77. He also contributed a useful 54 in the series-deciding Test in Adelaide.

Starc won the award ahead of New Zealand fast bowler Jacob Duffy and West Indies all-rounder Justin Greaves.

Mitchell Starc said: “It’s an honour to be named the ICC Player of the Month, and even more special that it came on the back of such a successful home Ashes. To have played a part in winning such an iconic series in front of our home crowd is something we will all relish for a long time.

“As a team we’ve had some outstanding performances in the last few years. The focus now is on building that momentum towards a place in next year’s ICC World Test Championship Final.”

Wolvaardt amassed 255 runs at a strike rate of 111.84 in three ODIs in the home series against Ireland, while also scoring 137 runs in two T20Is at a remarkable strike rate of 190.27. She excelled at the top of the order across both formats, registering three centuries.

Wolvaardt was named Player of the Series in the ODIs after scores of 124 and 100 not out in the final two matches, having earlier smashed an unbeaten 115 in the opening T20I. She edged out teammate Sune Luus and India opener Shafali Verma to win her second ICC Player of the Month award in three months.

Laura Wolvaardt said: “I’m delighted to be named the ICC Player of the Month once again. To win it two times in three months is very special and something I’ll cherish for a long time. I loved batting throughout Ireland’s tour of South Africa, and it was hugely rewarding to contribute with runs across both the ODI and T20I formats.

“With the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 on the horizon, my focus is firmly on carrying this momentum forward. We’ve shown real progress in recent ICC events, and I’m excited about the summer ahead in England and Wales. I hope to continue playing my part and help take the team all the way.”

Both players were crowned following a vote conducted among global fans registered at icc-cricket.com and a specialist panel comprising former international players and media representatives.

Fans can continue to vote every month for their favourite cricketers across all formats of international cricket in the ICC Player of the Month awards by registering at www.icc-cricket.com/awards.

With thanks to the ICC

Muthusamy was named the Player of the Series in Pakistan as the sides drew 1-1. The left-arm spinner grabbed 11 wickets in the first Test in Lahore that was won by Pakistan. He then top-scored for South Africa in the second innings of the Rawalpindi Test with 89 as his team won by eight wickets.

Muthusamy, who won the award ahead of spinners Noman Ali of Pakistan and Rashid Khan of Afghanistan, said he was proud of his performances in the longest format of the game.

Senuran Muthusamy: “It feels great to be named the Player of the Month by the ICC, especially since it comes for performances in Test cricket, a format that every player wants to excel in.

“Playing for a side that won the ICC World Test Championship this year is a matter of great pride. I was privileged to be part of such a competitive series in Pakistan and am happy to have contributed with both ball and bat. I would like to thank my team-mates for their support and look forward to contributing for my team in the years to come.”

Wolvaardt was the leading scorer in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup aggregating 571 runs, with 470 of them coming from eight matches played in October. She struck three half-centuries and helped win the semifinal against England with an epic 169 to set up a mouth-watering final against hosts India.

Wolvaardt, who edged out India opener Smriti Mandhana and Australia all-rounder Ash Gardner for the award, said she was proud to have stood out in such a high-profile tournament.

Laura Wolvaardt: “It’s an honour to win this award following the team’s World Cup performances in India, as part of a historic event for women’s cricket. The tournament featured outstanding matches and remarkable displays, which makes this recognition especially meaningful.

“While winning the tournament would have been ideal, we take pride in our victories and the unbreakable spirit we showed, while remaining confident that an ICC World Cup title is within reach.

“I appreciate everyone’s support, and I will always strive to make you proud on the field.”

Both players were crowned following a vote conducted among global fans registered at icc-cricket.com and a specialist panel comprising former international players and media representatives.

Fans can continue to vote every month for their favourite cricketers across all formats of international cricket in the ICC Player of the Month awards by registering at www.icc-cricket.com/awards.

The media release announcing the shortlist with more detail on other shortlisted players and the complete selection panel is available here.

With thanks to the ICC

Inspiring Mzansi

Many tend to forget that the real record setters in South African cricket are the Proteas women.

A little over two years ago, the Proteas women became the first team to play in the World Cup final when they played Australia women in the 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at Newlands in Cape Town.

A year later, this same team became the first and only senior South African cricket team to play in two World Cup finals when they played against New Zealand Women in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE.

Now, captain Laura Wolvaard has the opportunity to lead this side to the country’s first-ever ODI World Cup final as the team is currently wrapping up preparations for the upcoming ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in India and Sri Lanka starting this week.

In an exclusive interview with SportsBoom.co.za, Wolvaardt allowed herself to dream a little, dreaming about what winning the 13th edition of the Women’s World Cup would mean to South Africa, to Mzansi and the young girls and boys back at home.

“Winning the World Cup would be massive. Obviously, ODI World Cups come around every four years, so it’s a very rare opportunity. It’s something that every cricketer dreams of, winning a World Cup and ODI World Cup, probably even more so,” Wolvaardt told SportsBoom.co.za.

“Just to see what the men have done with the World Test Championship, how it sort of unites the country and how many people have rallied behind them, and we’re so proud of them. So, hopefully, we can unite the country and make everyone proud as well. I think it would be so massive for the women’s game in the country as well.”

Form & leading from the front

The skipper is fresh from her ninth ODI century in the recently concluded One-Day International series against Pakistan women in Lahore.

The century was her first this year, as she endured a lean patch during the tours of Sri Lanka and the West Indies earlier this year.

As the leader of the team and the opening batter, Wolvaardt would want to lead from the front in the upcoming World Cup by scoring big runs for the team.

“Probably, I haven’t had the best year with the bat. But I think heading into a tournament, I think I just need to be really clear on my plans and what I want to achieve,” Wolvaardt said.

“Obviously, my game has sort of been built on batting for long periods of time, but I’ve been trying to incorporate being a bit more aggressive early on, bringing in T20 options a bit earlier in that power play because we have a really strong batting lineup and there are a lot of people batting behind me.”

“So I’m going to try and get a move on a bit more, which may mean that I go out a bit earlier sometimes. But I think I’m attempting to be a bit more aggressive in the way that I play. So, hopefully I’m able to do that.”

Track record & Team Confidence

For the first time, South Africa heads into a World Cup event with a unique track record. The team now believes that they can make it to the final of such showpiece events, having played in two in the past two years.

Wolvaardt acknowledged that not only do they have an in-form squad, including Tazmin Brits, who is fresh from two back-to-back centuries, but that they are the most confident they have been ahead of a World Cup event.

“I think it definitely gives us a bit of confidence knowing that we have the ability to make finals. I think before that was a bit of a barrier we hadn’t broken. So, just knowing in the back of my mind that we do have the skills and the ability to make it, I think just gives us a little bit of confidence,” said Wolvaardt.

“But at the same time, it’s a long tournament. We’re going to really have to take it one game at a time. I don’t think we can expect to make the final; rather, we have to really take it game by game because subcontinent conditions really bring a lot of the teams into the competition.”

“I think we’ve got a really good 15 that are over here. A really good balance of all-rounders as well. Makes my life as a captain a bit easier when, you know, seven or eight of the batters can bowl.”

“A lot of people are in form. Tazmin is on two 100s on the trot, and I think these conditions really suit players like Nonkululeko Mlaba, Chloe Tryon, and some of our spin attacks. So, I’m really looking forward to it and really excited to see them perform.”

South Africa will get their World Cup campaign underway against England Women on 03 October.

With thanks to SportsBoom

In T20s, once the powerplay is done, the game can be more straightforward but in ODIs, you constantly have to balance when to attack and when to defend. It’s a huge honour and an exciting challenge, and I’m very happy and grateful to lead this side.

We’ve had good preparation for this tournament and learned a lot of lessons from past ICC events. In the last few ODI World Cups, we made semi-finals. I remember being part of that first semi-final loss in 2017 – it really hurt the group, but it helped us see that we could compete with the best sides in the world and qualifying for a final one day is more a question of “when” and not “if” it would ever happen. The belief is very strong in our side going into this tournament.

We’d like to keep that momentum going, and we’ll have to play very good cricket in tough conditions, but I strongly believe that we have a very good squad of 15 players on the plane, so I’m very excited for this tournament.

We bat very deep, with a lot of all-rounders giving us different bowling options, which is exciting for me as captain.

Our middle order has really fired recently with players like Chloé Tryon, Annerie Dercksen, and Nadine de Klerk finishing games strongly. Marizanne Kapp is one of the best players South Africa has ever had – she always performs in the big moments. Nonkululeko Mlaba has also been phenomenal, and I think she will be crucial in subcontinent conditions. I can’t wait to see her bowl in India especially.

In subcontinent conditions, the local teams come into the game a lot more. We’ve lost to New Zealand in a World Cup final, and teams like Australia and England are always strong.

The most important thing for us is to trust the process and take it one game at a time. You never want to get ahead of yourself – it’s a long tournament with lots of cricket, so staying present and focusing on ourselves is key. Every opponent will be tough, especially in these conditions, where subcontinent players are excellent against spin and their bowlers are very crafty. Teams like Australia, India, and New Zealand prepare very well, so there’s never an easy game.

To the fans at home – sport has incredible power to unite people in South Africa. The thought of families and friends gathering to watch us play is so special. It makes us proud as a group to know that people are behind us.

We want to make our country proud, and we want to do our families proud. Every bit of support motivates us to be a united force on the field, and hopefully unite the nation too.

We’re very excited, and I hope everyone tunes in to watch us.

With thanks to the ICC for this column by Laura Wolvaardt

However, their arrival comes against the backdrop of significant off-field changes: the loss of long-time title sponsor, Momentum.

A Farewell to Momentum

Momentum, a key supporter of the Proteas Women during their formative years and through the transition to professionalism, has ended its partnership with Cricket South Africa. The announcement came just before the team’s departure.

“It is sad news,” admitted captain Laura Wolvaardt. “Momentum was there in the beginning, before we were even a fully professional outfit. They were instrumental in getting us to where we are today.”

Despite the departure, Wolvaardt expressed gratitude for the sponsor’s years of support and noted the positive relationships built over time.

“They were passionate about women’s cricket, and we owe a lot to them,” she said.

A New Era Under Coach Mashimbyi

The tour marks the first full series under new head coach Mandla Mashimbyi, who took over from Hilton Moreeng after more than a decade of service. Though still early in his tenure, Mashimbyi has already left his mark.

“He’s made quite a few changes already. He has a big personality, exciting ideas, and a vision for the team’s direction. It’s refreshing to see someone come in, he hasn’t been shy about changing things or making things better or calling out things were doing wrong in the past,” Wolvaardt told SportsBoom.co.za.

Wolvaardt praised the coach’s hands-on approach during recent training camps, noting his technical focus and efforts to connect personally with players.

Battling Sub-Continent Conditions

With matches set to be played in typically hot and humid Sri Lankan conditions, preparation has been key.

“We’re expecting low and slow wickets,” Wolvaardt said. “Last time we were here in 2017, it was tough going with the bat. It’ll be a test of patience and skill.”

The Proteas are looking to sharpen their ability to rotate strike and endure long stints at the crease—essential qualities for ODIs in the subcontinent.

Youthful Energy and Strategic Depth

The squad for this tour includes a trio of exciting young talents from the U19 World Cup side, signalling a forward-looking approach to squad development. Karabo Meso, Seshnie Naidu, and Miane Smit all bring promise and experience, despite their youth.

Wolvaardt spoke highly of the newcomers, especially wicketkeeper-batter Karabo Meso.

“She’s always been solid with the gloves, but her batting has come a long way. I played for the Titans a couple of weeks ago against the Lions and she scored 80-odd against us, and she looked really good, couple of beautiful cover drives.”

With the likes of ICC Emerging Player of the Year Annerie Dercksen also establishing herself, the Proteas’ future looks bright. Wolvaardt acknowledged the depth created by the establishment of the SA U19 and SA ‘A’ sides, something she didn’t have as a teenager.

“When I was 19, it was either the provincial team or the Proteas and nothing in between,” she reflected.

“Now we have a full pathway. Players like Jemma Botha, Kayla Reyneke, and Fay Cowling might have missed out this time, but they’ll get their shot.”

Humbled by ICC Nominations

Expressing her delight at the recognition, Wolvaardt reflected on the team’s success and her contributions.

“I am super honoured and happy to be nominated for the award. It is a nice way to look back at the year, a successful year for us as a team. Obviously making it into the final of the World Cup and it was nice that I was able to contribute to the team within the year,” Wolvaardt told SportsBoom.com.

Securing the No. 1 Spot in ODI Rankings

Wolvaardt ended 2024 as the world’s top-ranked ODI batter, a testament to her leadership and consistency.

“Very cool to enter the 2025 year as the number 1 batter. It is definitely something growing up, you sort of want to be the best batter in the world and that is what I always wanted to be.”

“The challenge now is to stay there, I think the rankings are updated weekly and it is tough to stay there. It will be a good challenge for me now, to be nice and consistent and make sure I stay up there as long as I can.”

Was 2024 her best year yet?

With a staggering ODI average of over 87, more than 600 runs in T20s, and 223 runs in three Test matches, 2024 stands as Wolvaardt’s most prolific year.

“2024 was definitely my best year. I have never been nominated in all three categories before for the ICC awards. I think I just been nominated as ODI Player of the Year only once, so to be in all three categories is awesome.”

“Personally, it has been a good year for me. The winter I had before the start of this season, I had really big one [preseason] focusing on specifics for a couple of months. Then had a nice conditioning break and it’s nice to see it paid off in the season.”

“Obviously it coincided with my captaincy, it’s pretty cool that I can still do well for the team. Even with the captaincy, it has really challenged me as a player as well. But it has been a great year of learning for me as a player and captain.”

Eyes set on the 2025 World Cup

The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup is set to be the highlight of 2025, and Wolvaardt is determined to guide her team to glory.

“The main one for us is the 50-over World Cup that we have at the end of the year…it is a huge year for us. It is only every four years that we get to play in that competition and it is the ultimate competition there is in the women’s game…in my opinion. To make the final and hopefully win that one will be very very special.”

“It is full steam ahead to the World Cup, that is definitely the main goal.”

Laura Wolvaardt’s remarkable 2024 season has laid a strong foundation for a potentially historic 2025, as the Proteas Women look to build on their success and aim for their first major ICC trophy.

With thanks to: https://www.sportsboom.com/cricket/

Wolvaardt made 59* in her team’s successful series opener in Kimberley, where they beat England by six wickets. She added 35 runs to her tally in the second ODI where England bounced back with their own series-levelling, six-wicket victory in Durban.

Wolvaardt’s one-slot rise to No.1 has ended Nat Sciver-Brunt’s six-month grip on the top spot. The England all-rounder has slipped to third place with 732 points, one point short of Sri Lanka captain, Chamari Athapaththu, who is in second place.

Fellow South African Chloe Tryon advanced eight slots to joint 17th place with Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner with 544 points, while Ellyse Perry gained two places to fourth (714 points) – her highest position in three and a half years – among the batters after scoring a hundred in Brisbane against India.

Her teammates Phoebe Litchfield and Tahlia McGrath have also made strides in the batters list, moving 13 places to 25th and five to 32nd respectively, while Georgia Voll entered the batters rankings in 84th place after an impressive start to her international career.

In the bowlers list, Megan Schutt rose two places to second with 715 points, while Sophie Ecclestone maintains her position at number one with 767 rating points. South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp moved to sixth place from ninth (655 points) and maintains her place at the helm of the all-rounders list. England’s Charlie Dean moves up one place to ninth with 605 points and another one up to 10th in the all-rounders list.

Australia’s Kim Garth’s economical bowling in the first two ODIs against India has earned her a trip into the top 20 bowlers for the first time. She jumped seven places to 16th with 532 points while her teammate Annabel Sutherland rocketed up 23 slots to 24th (468 points) in the bowlers list and rose five places to 12th among the all-rounders, just one spot ahead of South Africa’s Nadine de Klerk, who has gone up seven slots to 13th.

India’s Renuka Thakur has climbed five slots to 28th place and South Africa’s Annerie Dercksen flew 99 rungs to joint 69th with Ireland’s Jane Maguire.

In the T20I rankings, Ireland’s 3-0 series sweep against Bangladesh saw significant gains for their players. Player of the Series Orla Prendergast moved into the top 10 of the all-rounders list, rising six slots to joint ninth place with Scotland’s Kathryn Bryce. She also leapt 21 spots to 64th in the bowlers list.

Her teammate, Arlene Kelly went up six places to joint 27th after taking five wickets in the series while Amy Hunter climbed one slot to 27th. Laura Delany rose three places to 55th among the batters.

Bangladesh’s Sobhana Mostary rose nine spaces to 58th in the batters list, as Sharmin Akhter re-entered the T20I batters rankings in 68th place. Fariha Islam Trisna gained nine places to 85th position in the bowlers list, with Ireland’s Freya Sargent two slots behind her in 87th position after advancing 14 rungs.

To know more about the ICC Rankings, please click here.

It’s very special to be given the opportunity to lead my country and it’s going to be a whole new, different challenge for me.

For the past year as captain, I’ve just had to focus on one series at a time and one team at a time. Now, I have to focus on a whole bunch of different teams with every game bringing a new opponent and new players to analyse and plan for. It’s going to be a big challenge but I’m very excited. It’s such a massive honour and privilege and one that not a lot of players get to experience in their careers.

Reaching our first-ever World Cup final in 2023 was a big landmark moment for us. It was a big ‘breaking the barriers and pushing the boundaries’ moment for the team.

Before that, we’d made the semi-finals on a number of occasions, so to be able to go that one step further was very important for us as a group. Now we’d like to go that one step further and lift the trophy, but anything can happen in a final in T20 cricket once you’ve played a whole competition to get there.

It really is just about taking it one game at a time and knowing in the back of our minds that we have the talent and the ability to make the final with a squad that’s not all too different from the one we had last time.

I’m very excited about the T20 World Cup being in Dubai and Sharjah. I think what’s pretty cool is that it’s sort of neutral territory for all of the teams. Most of the teams will be going in with the same amount of experience in the conditions, not having played there much before, so that’s quite exciting. It will be quite interesting to see which team adapts the best to the conditions and is able to sum it up as quickly as they can.

As there’s no real home-ground advantage for anyone, the team that’s able to figure out and assess the conditions the best has the best chance of success. It’s also going to be really exciting to see the crowds in attendance at the matches considering massive expat community in the region. I’m sure that almost every team will have a good number of fans coming out to support them, which is an exciting prospect and quite unique to this year’s tournament.

Our preparation has been very good. We had a good tour to India and then had a month where some of us went off to The Hundred and the rest of us stayed at home. We also had two separate camps where we did match scenarios and a lot of skill work that is needed for T20 cricket.

It’s been winter at home, so temperature-wise it might be a bit of a shock when we get to the tournament. There’s not much you can do to prepare for 40, 45-degree conditions when it’s 10, 15 degrees Celsius back at home.

That will be a big challenge for us, adapting to the heat. But other than that, I think we’ve ticked all the boxes and hopefully it bodes well in the World Cup.

With thanks to the ICC

In this exclusive chat, Wolvaardt reveals how they plan to prepare for the tournament which has recently been relocated from Bangladesh due to political unrest.

Wolvaardt says ICC T20 World Cup Venue Change works in their favour.  The team has been preparing for the tournament in Durban, captain Laura Wolvaardt who recently returned from The Hundred has expressed her views on teams preparations and the squad that was announced.

T20 World Cup Prep

The International Cricket Council announced in August that the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, set to be held in October, has been moved out of Bangladesh. The highly-anticipated ninth edition of the tournament will now take place in the United Arab Emirates with Bangladesh Cricket Board [BCB] continuing to host the event.

The International Cricket Council Chief Executive Geoff Allardice stated to the ICC, “I would like to thank the team at the BCB for exploring all avenues to try and enable the event to be hosted in Bangladesh, but travel advisories from the governments of a number of the participating teams meant that wasn’t feasible. However, they will retain hosting rights.”

Wolvaardt commented on the venue change and how this will impact preparations taking into account the stadium conditions. The tournament will take place across two venues in the UAE, Dubai and Sharjah.

“We were initially preparing for the full sub-continent [Bangladesh] conditions which is low and slow and now we are going back to something we are more comfortable with as a group, it works in our favour,” she told SportsBoom.com.

“All the prep has been good, obviously those of us at The Hundred played a lot of games, which is invaluable game time going into the T20 competition and the rest have been hard at work at a camp before this and now we are all together in Durban. Currently we are working on specifics but overall prep has been good.”

T20 World Cup Revised Fixtures

Due to the change in venues, the ICC have revised the fixture list as only two venues will be used. Instead of beginning their campaign with England, the Proteas Women’s side will meet the West Indies. South Africa are in group B together with tournament hosts Bangladesh, England, West Indies, and Scotland.

“To be honest, I haven’t really looked at the fixtures before but I turn my focus to it now. I don’t think the change impacts our group too much, we have to play all the teams anyway whether it be England first or the West Indies we still prepare the same and hopefully we can get off to a good start.”

Proteas Women Injury Crisis

The larger squad had injuries to two players, all-rounders Nadine de Klerk who has been announced in the squad and Delmi Tucker. Both are regular members of the squad. Wolwaardt was also asked whether there were possibilities in recruiting back the likes of Shabnim Ismail and Dane van Niekerk in the squad.

Wolwaardt answered, “At the moment it was just Delmi who has undergone surgery and will be out for a couple of months. Nadine has had an awesome rehab and returned to training, she is in camp starting to bowl and bat again.”

“It’s awesome to see how she has come along and worked hard to be back in the squad. Dane and Shubi [Shabnim] are world class players and have given so much for the team but I think the current focus is on the squad that is preparing for the World Cup.”

With thanks to  SportsBoom

Laura Wolvaardt has been a standout player for the South African side but it was not enough as the side suffered a 3-0 ODI series defeat in India.

“It has been disappointing, with our record in India and having played so well last time in the ODI series we were obviously expecting to win at least a couple [games]. Losing points in the ICC qualification is also not ideal, it has put us in a tricky spot with some must win games coming up,” Wolvaardt told SportsBoom.com.

Areas of Concern

Wolvaardt highlighted a few areas of concern, which have hindered the side’s success in India.

“Overall consistency, we had a game where we nearly chased 225 then we had a game we got rolled for 100 odd. We just need to find a balance and put up performances on a more consistent basis.

Whether it is consistently at 260, at least we can work with that but the up and down is frustrating. We know we have the talent and skills to score 300 plus, it’s just about doing more often.”

“Our fielding was good overall and we bowled very well in patches. Our powerplay bowling was really good, maybe just our death bowling could’ve been a bit better,” said Wolvaardt.

Reliant on Key Members

Questions still linger whether there is over reliance on key players such as Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka.

Wolvaardt replied, “Cricket is a bit of a funny game, sometimes players are on-form at certain times while other players are not. I do however think the wheel will turn at some stage, I am lucky to find myself in good form at the moment.

“Earlier this year in Australia, I couldn’t buy a run and was sort of carried by the rest of the line-up. Obviously, Kappy [Marizanne] is a world-class player, it will come off more often than not with her but I do think we have a team of match winners, it’s just about them finding confidence and hitting a good run of form.”

Ups and Downs of Leading the Proteas Women Side

“There are ups and downs, it hurts more when we lose knowing I captained that game and had a big role to play in some of the decisions that were made. So there is a lot more post-match reflection than there was,” she added.

“Whereas before, I sort of had to reflect on the single shot that got me out but now there are many moments I have to look at, for example which bowlers I should’ve bowled and certain field placings. But I am enjoying it and still have a lot to learn, which I’m sort of learning on the job.”

The Next Challenge

Proteas Women will play a one-off Test vs India, where Wolvaardt highlighted key objectives for the fixture.

“It will be a massive challenge, test matches in India are not easy. The nets today were low and slow, I think it will be a massive adaptation for us in the middle as a batting group but we are really excited for the challenge.”

It’s really special to play a test match out there and challenge yourself in the humidity and the tough conditions. That is what cricket is all about, we really excited and hopefully put up a decent performance,” she concluded.

With thanks to SportsBoom