FILE - Proteas Women’s spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba pictured during the previous T20 Women’s World Cup in South Africa in 2023. Mlaba had the West Indies in a spin with her slow left-arm deliveries. FILE - Proteas Women’s spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba pictured during the previous T20 Women’s World Cup in South Africa in 2023. Mlaba had the West Indies in a spin with her slow left-arm deliveries. Picture: Marco Longari / AFP
The Proteas Women produced a clinical performance with bat and ball to beat the West Indies by 10 wickets in their opening match of the 2024 ICC T20 Women World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
Nonkululeko Mlaba led the charge with the ball with career-best figures of 4/29, as the South Africans restricted the West Indies to 118/6 in their allotted 20 overs.
The Proteas’ openers - captain Laura Wolvaardt and Tasmin Brits - then made light work of the total, with both batters scoring half-centuries before crossing the line with 13 balls to spare.
Veteran all-rounder Marizanne Kapp (2/14) set the tone with the ball up front for the Proteas in 37-ef=gree Dubai heat by claiming the big wickets of Hayley Matthews and the dangerous Deandra Dottin in the first seven overs.
Mlaba struck in her first over when she cleaned bowled Qiana Joseph with a quicker ball.
She came back in the 12th over to break the back of the Windies’ effort back-to-back wickets. She bowled Shemaine Campbelle with another delivery that skid on off the surface, before bowling a beautifully flighted ball that turned away and found Chinelle Henry’s edge.
Mlaba put on a clinic with the ball by varying her pace, and she was rewarded with a fourth wicket when she had Aaliyah Alleyne caught in the covers.
“This is very special for me, because I know I’m playing for all the people back in South Africa, all of my family and the names on the back of my shirt,” Mlaba said after the match.
“For me it bowling straight and not leaving the stumps. I think that worked well for me today and the support of my teammates in the field.”
Mlaba also enjoyed the openers’ Wolvaardt (59 not out) and Brits’ (57 not out) knock from the air-conditioned changeroom.
“It was too hot to sit outside. I was under the aircon and I kept clapping and saying ‘yes man!’”
The openers never really looked in any danger, although they maybe could have put their foot on the accelerator earlier, as net run-rate could be vital in this tournament.
But that would also be clutching at straws, as it was even more important to start with the tournament with a convincing win.
“It was not that easy [batting]. It was definitely one of the harder knocks I’ve had, especially fielding first in this heat at 2pm and then coming in to bat after that,” captain Wolvaardt said after the match.
“The performance was pretty excellent all-around. The way Kappie started with the ball was amazing and then to have Mlaba taking four wickets was great.
“To win with 10 wickets in the shed is nice as well.”
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