Proteas spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba still haunted by World Cup heartache

Nonkululeko Mlaba is one of the best bowlers around. Along with the likes of captain Laura Wolvaardt and veteran all-rounder Marizanne Kapp, she’s one of the first picks when the strongest Proteas Women’s team is assembled.

The Proteas are preparing for their first World Cup appearance since suffering heartbreak at the 2024 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. South Africa fell to a 32-run defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the decider.

The loss rubbed salt in South Africa’s wounds. A year earlier, the Proteas had reached their maiden T20 World Cup final – on home soil. The Aussies vanquished them by 19 runs in that contest.

As the team enters the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka from 30 September to 2 November, Mlaba can’t help but recall the trauma of those double final defeats.

The left-arm orthodox spinner says the defeat by New Zealand a year ago is particularly painful because South Africa beat the mighty Australia in the semifinals, only to freeze against the White Ferns.

“I still haven’t healed from that, because we had it. I don’t know what happened. Whether it was nerves or something else … we let it slip from our grasp,” Mlaba said.

She questioned the chances of South Africa reaching a third successive final, especially as this World Cup on the subcontinent will be the first one under the leadership of coach Mandla Mashimbyi. The mentor was appointed in November 2024. 

“The competition is getting stronger and other teams have grown as well. They are just as hungry as us and everyone is working hard. So, will we be able to reach another final?” Mlaba asked.

Nevertheless, the Durban-born bowler says preparations for another World Cup onslaught have gone smoothly and the team is adjusting to Mashimbyi’s tactical ways.

The 44-year-old head coach replaced Dillon du Preez, who held the role on an interim basis after the departure of Hilton Moreeng in May 2024. Moreeng had been at the helm for more than a decade.

“Everything is going well. We’ve been sharpening our skills. Essentially, we’ve gone back to basics – to the time when we were still budding cricketers. That will help us tremendously, I feel,” Mlaba said.

“We’re working well with Mandla. Communication-wise he is great. We don’t have to talk about cricket all the time. We can just talk about life, which makes it easy to be comfortable around him. He is a great guy and he believes in us.”

Spin factor

Proteas skipper Wolvaardt believes that spin bowling will be particularly important for teams to do well at the World Cup. The conditions in India and Sri Lanka are a spinner’s dream. Pitches will be dry with tons of grip and turn. 

“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,” Wolvaardt told ICC.com.

Mlaba, who has more than 100 international wickets, will be salivating at the prospect of tormenting batters on the subcontinent. She knows that as one of the more experienced players in the team, having debuted in 2019, expectations of her will be immense. But she is ready.

“It’s going to be hard because the expectations will be high… There’ll be a lot of expectation placed on spinners in the tournament, a lot of pressure. But I’ll just stick to the basics and try to do what I do best,” the Dolphins star said.

Award-winning momentum

In July, Mlaba collected a number of top honours at Cricket South Africa’s annual awards. This came after a stellar individual 2024/25 season.

During the Proteas’ ill-fated T20 World Cup campaign last year, she was the second-highest wicket-taker, with 12 strikes. She later became the first South African woman to take 10 wickets in a Test match, against England in December 2024.

At the awards ceremony, she was crowned Women’s Player of the Year and received awards for Women’s T20 International Player of the Year, Women’s Players’ Player of the Year and the Best Delivery Fuelled by KFC.

Mlaba says receiving such accolades does not burden her. Instead, it motivates her to remain humble. “I have zero pressure. If I carry on working hard and everything works out, I’ll get more awards.

“But if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. Sport has seasons. Sometimes you’re in the form of your life and sometimes you’re off. I’ll carry on being myself,” she said.

South Africa’s first three matches at the World Cup will be extremely tough. They will battle England in their opener on Friday, 3 October. Three days later it will be a reunion with the Proteas’ heartbreakers, New Zealand. Then another tough tussle against India awaits the team on 9 October.

Matches against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan will follow after that, before the Proteas close off the eight-team group stage with a battle against old foes Australia on 25 October.

The top four teams in the mini-league will qualify for the semifinals.

Despite her doubts about the Proteas making it a hat-trick of finals, for Mlaba it would be extra-special if South Africa could erase their heartache at past World Cups in India. She made her international debut as a teenager in the country.

Six years later, she returns as a completely different player, battle-hardened and raring to hynotise batters with her silky spinning skills. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.