How Nadine de Klerk matured into the explosive finisher who helped SA’s historic World Cup journey

When she’s not smacking the white leather ball over the boundary, she’s taking important wickets. And when she’s not doing either of those, she’s grabbing outstanding catches.

Nadine de Klerk (25) had done it all for the Proteas as they prepared to do battle in the final of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in India this past Sunday. It’s her ability to finish matches with the willow that was the biggest factor in South Africa’s incredible run to their inaugural final.

The Proteas were thumped by 10 wickets in their opening match of the tournament against England (and returned the thumping by 125 runs in the semifinal). The team then comfortably beat New Zealand by six wickets in their second pool match to set their tournament back on the right track.

After New Zealand, a meeting against tournament hosts India threatened to derail their journey again. South Africa were stuttering on 141 for the loss of six wickets, chasing 251, with just more than 13 overs left in their innings and staring down the barrel of defeat.

But in stepped De Klerk, smashing an undefeated 84 runs off 54 balls, which included five sixes and eight fours, to win the match for her side. 

“She’s come into her own in this tournament and been very explosive, which is awesome,” former captain and top-order batter Suné Luus said.

De Klerk followed those heroics with a similar showing in the next match, hitting a six with three balls remaining in the match to help the side chase Bangladesh’s 232. She finished the match undefeated on 37 off 29 deliveries, another six added to her tournament tally and four fours.

Without these interventions from De Klerk, South Africa would have had two defeats in their opening four matches and needed a small miracle to reach the knockout phase.

Three weeks later, there were no ifs or maybes — the Proteas were in the final for the first time.

Learning on the job

De Klerk has bashed the ball to the boundary better than anyone at the Cricket World Cup. Her strike rate was an eye-catching 136.69 and she was one of only two players, along with Australia skipper Alyssa Healy, who scored at faster than 130 runs per 100 balls.

No one has hit more sixes than De Klerk either, with her smacking 10 long ones over the fence, taking her tally for the year to 15. In the previous six years of playing one-day international cricket, De Klerk has managed to club only three sixes.

What’s made the difference in her batting? 

“It’s just really mindset,” she told Daily Maverick in a phone call from India. “[I was] a bit unsure earlier on in my career and it’s only really been the last two years that I’ve felt like I’m starting to understand my game.”

The all-rounder has rescued the Proteas from number eight, having spent most of her career batting at six. 

“I’m starting to understand my role,” she said. “I’ve moved down the order a little in the last year, but even with that move I was very understanding of the role that I was going to play and what is expected of me.”

De Klerk made her international debut as an 18-year-old in 2017. Her skills were still raw then, and she wasn’t selected for the na­tional team in one-day cricket for another two years. Her bowling took a front seat then as her batting remained unrefined despite being labelled an all-rounder.

“The fact that I started young just allowed me that little bit more time,” De Klerk said.

“When you get onto the international scene, it’s very overwhelming and you’re not quite sure how you want to go about it, how you’re going to play, and you try to settle and it probably took me a couple of years too long.

“You’re always going to keep learning, but the last year and a half, maybe two years, I just felt more confident in my batting, specifically. The more I’ve played, I’m starting to understand what I need to do and how I need to go about my game. It’s going to keep being a roller coaster, that’s how cricket works, but I think as long as you understand it and you try to stay consistent in what you’re doing, how you’re training and how you’re going to play, then you should be okay.”

Coach’s help

De Klerk’s incredible improvements with the willow are not coincidental. In May 2024, experienced domestic men’s assistant coach Baakier Abrahams was appointed as batting coach for the Proteas Women. 

“We’ve worked a lot on mindset stuff as well as being really clear on our options,” De Klerk said about the impact Abrahams has had on the team. “He’s been a great asset to our team and our batting unit. We’ve done a lot of specific work leading up to this World Cup and it’s great to see that it’s paying off for a lot of our girls.”

According to Abrahams, he has worked on opening up different areas of the ground for scoring to De Klerk. This has been evident in her ability to give herself some room at the crease and hit the ball over the offside, not only focusing on smashing it over the legside and being predictable. This has made it less easy to bowl to her.

“Once she starts opening up these new areas of scoring, [the opposition] aren’t sure which way to go. That’s been her evolution from both a tactical and technical point of view,” Abrahams said.

“She’s also really matured from a finisher point of view in staying calm and the mentality that’s required to bat in those situations. There is extreme pressure. You can’t get out and you have to score quickly. To be able to come through all of that shows the strides she’s made over the years.” DM

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