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South Africa star Laura Wolvaardt signs for Adelaide Strikers

The 21-year-old impressed at the T20 World Cup earlier this year

Laura Wolvaardt played a stunning innings  •  Getty Images

Laura Wolvaardt played a stunning innings  •  Getty Images

The Adelaide Strikers have moved swiftly to fill the void left by Sophie Devine's departure by signing South Africa batter Laura Wolvaardt for the Women's Big Bash.
Wolvaardt, 21, was one of the stars of the Women's T20 World Cup earlier this year despite only batting twice in the competition as she made unbeaten scores of 53 and 41 against Pakistan and Australia.
She has previously had two seasons with the Brisbane Heat although struggled to make an impact with 99 runs in 15 innings, but having had more success in one-day than T20 cricket her game in the shortest format has developed significantly of late.
"We're extremely pleased to have secured the signing of Laura who we think is an exceptional young talent and will fit into our group nicely," head coach Luke Williams said. "We were very impressed by her standout performances on the biggest stage of them all, the T20 World Cup, and we're excited for what she will bring to the Strikers batting order, and her versatility in that order."
Cricket Australia remains hopeful that overseas players will be able to feature in the WBBL season despite the travel restrictions imposed by Covid-19.
There is another potential clash for Wolvaardt, and other South African players, with the BCCI having recently said they are looking at staging a series against South Africa in October although no dates are yet confirmed. The WBBL is set to begin on October 17.