On the eve of the Cricket World Cup, seam bowler Ayabonga Khaka is beginning to show her value to the Proteas.
On the eve of the Cricket World Cup, seam bowler Ayabonga Khaka is beginning to show her value to the Proteas.
Johannesburg – Ayabonga Khaka generally plays second fiddle to the dynamic new ball duo Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail, but on the eve of the World Cup, she’s underlying her value to the Proteas.
Even skipper Suné Luus was surprised that Khaka’s 5/23 in the second One-Day International against the West Indies on Monday, was her first international ‘five-for.’
Khaka, who’s played 71 ODIs, doesn’t have the pace and thunderous personality of Ismail, and the all-round force of Kapp, but she’s a gritty and skilful seam bowler.
The 29 year old dragged the Proteas back into that second match on Monday after Deandra Dottin had pummelled the new ball.
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Having set the West Indies back by taking two top order wickets – including Dottin’s – Khaka removed the dangerous Hayley Matthews and then returned late in the innings, with the tourists seemingly heading for a comfortable victory to break the crucial seventh wicket partnership between Chinelle Henry and Chedean Nation.
“I can’t believe it’s her first five wicket haul,” said Luus. “She’s been brilliant for the Proteas throughout the years. She is someone you can count on, she’s ready to bowl when you need her and she’s a real team player.”
Khaka moved to within eight of becoming just the fifth Proteas women’s player to claim 100 ODI wickets.
Those ahead of her Ismail (156), Dane van Niekerk (138), Kapp (134) and Luus (108) are all established names internationally and have earned call ups to various T20 leagues around the World. Khaka only got her first overseas call up in the very brief Womens IPL tournament held two years ago.
ALSO READ: Pace is Proteas’ biggest weapon, says Shabnim Ismail
It could be her quiet nature that hasn’t drawn attention from elsewhere and initially may have explained why she didn’t bowl the super over in Monday’s match.
Having taken a ‘five for’ and clearly been the best of South Africa’s bowlers, it was a strange choice for Ismail to bowl that over against the rampant Dottin — especially since it was Khaka who’d bowled her in the West Indies’ innings and then showed, with her fuller length and straight line, that she was the most dangerous option.
“There was a discussion between Aya and Shibnam, and we just felt that Shibby with her experience and the fact that she had just bowled the over before, she was still confident that she could contain the West Indies to a lower total and she was looser than Aya because she’d bowled the over before,” said Luus.
A day to remember for Ayabonga Khaka 👏 #SAWvWIW #AlwaysRising #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/ekc0e2Z37D
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) February 1, 2022
Dottin smashed 25 runs off the five balls she faced from Ismail in the ‘super over,’ with Matthews adding a six off the last ball.
Luus said South Africa would have to rethink their strategy in the ‘super over.’ Quite remarkably of the eight Women’s ODIs to finish in a tie, the Proteas have been involved in five of them, with Monday’s being the third time it had happened against the West Indies.
South Africa had underperformed with the bat, in making just 160, although Luus said the pitch was tricky — offering the seamers plenty of assistance, while also being somewhat two paced.
“There was a big improvement in our bowling to contain them to the total we got, the bowlers did extremely well. Now it’s for the batting to fire, but we are not too concerned about that. We are playing on tough wickets.”
In fact Luus added that playing on the more challenging Wanderers tracks may benefit the South African batters at the World Cup. “The tougher it is for us to prepare now, the easier it will be for us in New Zealand,” she said.
Thursday’s third match is a day/night affair that starts at 2pm.
