Nonkululeko Mlaba cleans up at Cricket SA Awards

Mlaba's season highlights include 12 wickets at the 2024 T20 World Cup – the second-highest at the tournament, as well as becoming the first SA woman to take 10 wickets in a Test match when they faced England in December.

The 25-year-old was the star of the show as she claimed the Women’s Players’ Player of the Year, T20 Player of the Year, Women’s Best Delivery Fuelled by KFC, and Women’s Player of the Year, leaving her at a loss for words.

"I'm still trying to process everything, emotions are still high, and because I was crying my make-up is horrible now, but I'm very happy and honestly I don't know how to express my feelings," Mlaba said.

"It shows that my hard work paid off, finally, and we're not stopping here, but we're only going higher."

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Mlaba will be the Proteas Women’s ace at the upcoming World Cup in India in two months, particularly in the typically spin-friendly sub-continent conditions.

She says, while it does give her a boost going to that tournament, her success last night also means more pressure on her shoulders.

"I feel like the pressure is getting worse, but I'm here for it. I'm going to my best to put in some [strong] performances for the team, and if we have to [try and] win the World Cup again, I'm going to try my best to [raise] my performances," she vowed.