‘Leftie' is key figure in World Cup

BRIGHT STAR: COMING FROM TOWNSHIP BACKGROUND, MLABA PROVES THAT ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

- Jacques van der Westhuyzen

If the Proteas women's team win the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) tomorrow, you can be sure Nonkululeko Mlaba will have played a significant role in the victory.

The slow left-arm bowler will be a key figure in the final against New Zealand, as she has been throughout the tournament and is in every match she plays for South Africa.

And while batters Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits and Anneke Bosch, and all-rounder Marizanne Kapp, are among the stars of the Proteas' march to the final and will also have big roles to play tomorrow, Mlaba could be the brightest star of all. If all goes well, she could even win the player of the World Cup award.

Her slow, left-arm spin bowling has bamboozled many a batter in the UAE over the past few weeks and with 10 wickets to her name so far, she is in the running to be the top bowler in the tournament.

At 24, she has plenty of games ahead of her, but it is this one match she and her team-mates will desperately want to win.