Mlaba trusts herself more after career best performance

Nonkululeko Mlaba took career best figures of 4/29 in the Proteas opening World Cup match against the West Indies on Friday
Nonkululeko Mlaba took career best figures of 4/29 in the Proteas opening World Cup match against the West Indies on Friday
Image: Isuru Sameera

Variety is indeed the spice of life as far as Nonkululeko Mlaba is concerned. 

Not happy with bowling just a stock ball that pins away from the right-hander, she’s improved her arm ball.

She varies her pace too, lest opposing batters get rhythm too easily. When to bowl is another part of her game, that can’t be predictable. 

“I used to open, now I’m bowling in the middle,” said Mlaba. “There will be some games, where I bowl at the death or the power play. It’s a case of not doing the same thing over and over.”

It makes for a heady mix, allowing skipper Laura Wolvaardt multiple options, while it keeps Mlaba engaged with what she has to do too. 

It all proved too much for the West Indies on Friday, and that was without Mlaba having to use the full range of her skills.

In the Proteas first match, she bowled in the fifth over, backing up Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka, who’d applied early pressure against the West Indies — Kapp by dismissing the dangerous Hayley Matthews and Khaka who delivered a maiden over to the out-of-sync Qiana Joseph. 

Mlaba dismissed the latter with one that drifted into the left-handed West Indies opener.

Her second over, the 12th of the innings, proved pivotal with Mlaba tying the opposition in knots.

There was a ripping first ball, which spun viciously away from the right-handed Shermaine Campbell, followed by two straighter deliveries which she struggled to get away and the killer blow, the arm ball, delivered flat and fast, which Campbell missed, with the ball clattering into the top of leg stump.

“I’m starting to trust the arm ball more,” Mlaba remarked. She wasn’t finished. 

With her next delivery, again she found turn against the right-hander Aaliyah Alleyne, scratching the outside edge, allowing her good mate, Sinalo Jafta behind the stumps, to claim an excellent catch.

It was a decision that the on-field umpire initially didn’t give, but pressed by Jafta, Wolvaardt asked for a referral. Mlaba finished with career-best figures of 4/29. 

Wickets off consecutive deliveries allowed the Proteas to take a vice-like grip of the match. They restricted West Indies 118/6 and chased the target without losing a wicket, and with more than two overs to spare.

“Turn has always been there, it's my skill. What I have been doing the past few months, is working on changing my pace and using my arm ball more,” Mlaba added. 

Working closely with Paul Adams, who was brought onto the coaching staff during a training camp in Durban, Mlaba said a lot of their work together has been about consistency and self-belief.

“He’s encouraged me to trust my arm ball and change of pace,” she said of Adams. 

“I feel like I trust my role in the team, my bowling and I have a strong mentality when I go to the field. I tell myself ‘you’ve got this.’ I still get nervous, but in a good way, I’m hungry for the challenge.”

The Proteas delivered a masterful and comprehensive display, underpinned by the options Wolvaardt has available from her attack, and a cluster of all-rounders that also lend depth in the batting. 

“There are a lot of changes with our attack, we have a lot of gun bowlers,” said Mlaba.

She said the team have developed close bonds, reflected in the many smiles noticeable in the prematch warm ups.

“We are a bunch of youngsters, we are very playful. Sometimes, even if something is serious, we try not to take it seriously, we try not to put too much pressure on ourselves. We are very strong, we are fighting for each other as well, I feel like we are a unit.”


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