Proteas women’s star spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba has claimed the top spot, after a superb performance saw her rise up the women’s T20 bowling rankings.
She is currently ranked second in the world behind England star Sophie Ecclestone, and has cut the deficit to just six points after her career-best performance against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup on Saturday.
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Mlaba, 22, will now have a great chance to add to her reputation when they face Australia in their third pool match at Gqeberha on Saturday night, and Proteas vice-captain and teammate Chloe Tryon believes she is destined for it. above.
‘Fire Within’
“I think he wants to be number one, he works hard. He’s from my hometown (Durban), so I work with him when we come home. He’s a lot,” Tryon said.
“He’s just trying to play the game as much as he can. I like the fire that burns inside him. I like how he sets the tone with the ball as well. I think as a unit, we’re really developing. So, I’m glad to see him doing so well.
“I can’t wait to see what she does in the next game (against Australia) after this. But look, I’m really happy to see her. She’s 22, a young girl. So, it’s great to see her blossom in front of me.”
The best figure
Against the White Ferns Mlaba took a fantastic figure of 3/10 in his four overs, his best, and opened the bowling removing two openers for ducks, which gave the team a perfect start with them defending the total below par.
“I thought Mlaba played really well today. He set the tone really well and I feel like every bowler that came in just had a plan. It was great to see and I’m really happy with the performance we had today.
Given his age, Mlaba can go from strength to strength and with a potentially long international career, he will hope to be one of the team’s shining stars for many years to come.