{"id":20284,"date":"2025-08-04T15:02:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T13:02:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=20284"},"modified":"2026-03-12T10:06:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T08:06:38","slug":"nonkululeko-mlaba-aims-to-become-worlds-best-bowler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/nonkululeko-mlaba-aims-to-become-worlds-best-bowler\/","title":{"rendered":"Nonkululeko Mlaba Aims to Become World\u2019s Best Bowler"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Fresh from a night of glitz and glory at Emperors Palace, Nonkululeko Mlaba was the star of the Cricket South Africa Awards, not only for her brilliance on the field but also for her flair off it. Draped in a shimmering gold gown stitched by a school friend, Mlaba turned heads while juggling her silverware and doing a quick touch-up before going on camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis dress nearly betrayed me,\u201d she joked, referring to a minor wardrobe malfunction. \u201cI was dancing, celebrating my friend\u2019s win, and suddenly everything fell apart, but I made it work. Hope you\u2019re not mad, girl! I still look pretty!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-night-of-triumph\"><strong>A Night of Triumph<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It was a fitting celebration for the 25-year-old left-arm spinner from KwaMashu, who has firmly cemented her place among the country\u2019s cricket elite. Mlaba walked away with multiple honours, including the prestigious Women\u2019s Cricketer of the Year, Women\u2019s T20 International Player of the Year, Players\u2019 Player of the Year, and the KFC Best Delivery award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt honestly means so much,\u201d Mlaba said. \u201cI\u2019ve worked really hard because I want to be the best bowler in the world. This is only the beginning. I\u2019m not stopping here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-1563813008\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-from-kwamashu-to-record-books\"><strong>From KwaMashu to Record Books<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Mlaba\u2019s journey over the past year has been nothing short of remarkable. She made history by becoming the first South African woman to take 10 wickets in a single Test match, achieving the feat against England in Bloemfontein. It was a significant milestone for someone who never fancied red-ball cricket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t enjoy Test cricket, it\u2019s too long!\u201d she admitted with a laugh. \u201cI watched the guys play and thought, \u2018this is boring.\u2019 But playing in that match against England made me see it differently. Maybe, with time, I\u2019ll grow to love it more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Stay tuned... I want to be the best bowler in the world, says Proteas Women&#039;s star Nonkululeko Mlaba\" width=\"755\" height=\"425\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5De4tE19UtU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-eyes-set-on-global-t20-leagues\"><strong>Eyes Set on Global T20 Leagues<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While her Test milestone is impressive, <a href=\"https:\/\/iol.co.za\/sport\/cricket\/proteas-women\/2025-08-04-stay-tuned----i-want-to-be-the-best-bowler-in-the-world-says-proteas-womens-star-nonkululeko-mlaba\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mlaba\u2019s heart<\/a> is set on dominating the white-ball arena. Her outstanding performance at the 2023 T20 World Cup, where she broke the record for the most wickets by a South African bowler, caught international attention. She now hopes to break into the lucrative global franchise leagues, starting with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe CPL has asked for me twice now,\u201d she said. \u201cThe first time, we had a Pakistan tour, and this year again, it clashes with the same tour. But I believe my chance will come. One opportunity is all I need, and from there, maybe the IPL or the Hundred could follow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83c\udf1f The Women\u2019s Players\u2019 Player of the Year goes to Nonkululeko Mlaba! \ud83c\udfc5 <br><br>An award earned through excellence, a spin sensation who has risen to every challenge and delivered with heart, consistency, and class. \ud83d\udd25 <br><br>Well deserved by the Queen of the turning track! \ud83d\udc51\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/khmU2P8ebv\">pic.twitter.com\/khmU2P8ebv<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Proteas Women (@ProteasWomenCSA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ProteasWomenCSA\/status\/1950995842065899933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">July 31, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-2561200286\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-fire-burns-brighter\"><strong>The Fire Burns Brighter<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At just 25, Mlaba has already scaled significant heights in her career, but her ambition burns fiercer than ever. Her desire to become the world\u2019s top bowler is more than just a personal goal, it\u2019s a mission that could inspire a generation of young cricketers across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve set high standards for myself. Just watch this space,\u201d she said with a smile. \u201cThis is not the end, there\u2019s still so much more to come from me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mlaba is not just rewriting the playbook on spin bowling in the women\u2019s game, she\u2019s doing it in style, with grit, grace, and a golden glow that\u2019s impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Related article: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/csa-awards-maharaj-mlaba-dominate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CSA Awards 2024\/25: Maharaj Dominates as Mlaba Steals the Show<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fresh from a night of glitz and glory at Emperors Palace, Nonkululeko Mlaba was the star of the Cricket South Africa Awards, not only for her brilliance on the field but also for her flair off it. Draped in a shimmering gold gown stitched by a school friend, Mlaba turned heads while juggling her silverware<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":20292,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"Fresh from a night of glitz and glory at Emperors Palace, Nonkululeko Mlaba was the star of the Cricket South Africa Awards, not only for her brilliance on the...","footnotes":""},"categories":[56,64],"tags":[1429],"class_list":{"0":"post-20284","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"category-sports-news","9":"tag-cricket"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20284"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20284\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20293,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20284\/revisions\/20293"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}