Dubai: South Africa captain Laura Walvaard has been named the ICC Women’s Player of the Year for April 2026 for her consistent performance in the ODI series against New Zealand followed by the T20I against India later that month.
Wohlward beat off stiff competition from Sri Lanka’s Imesha Dulani and Brazil’s Laura Cardoso to win the coveted honor for the third time in seven months, adding to previous wins in October and December last year.
Reflecting on the feat, Wohlward termed it as incredible and shared his determination to continue batting with the same confidence and consistency.
“It feels incredible to have won the third ICC Player of the Year award in such a short space of time and I hope to continue batting with the same confidence and consistency,” Wohlward was quoted as saying.
“This is one of the most gratifying phases of my career and it is very satisfying to achieve success in various forms,” he added.
The South Africa captain further expressed hope of carrying her rich form into the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 to be held in England and Wales from June 12 to July 5.
“What makes this award even more special is that these performances came against the reigning World Cup and T20 World Cup champions, which is something I really respect,” said Walwart.
“I am grateful for the continued support of my teammates and hope to carry this form into next month’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England and Wales.”
Laura Wohlward was honored for her consistent performance in white-ball formats, which included two ODI outings against New Zealand and a five-match T20I series against India.
In the ODIs against New Zealand, Walwart scored 138 runs at a stunning average of 69.00, while in five matches he amassed 330 runs at an average of 82.50 and a strike rate of 168.36 with the help of a century and 3 fifties in the T20I series.
Chasing a target of 192, he scored 115 off 53 balls to guide South Africa to a nine-wicket win, his best performance during the third T20I against India.
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