Six years after making her international cricket debut, premier spin bowler Nonkululeko Mlaba has emerged as the woman of the hour as she took home a number of awards, including the nod as Women’s Cricket Player of the Year.
This year’s edition of the Cricket South Africa Awards (CSAA) might as well be renamed to ‘The Nonkululeko Mlaba Show’ as the 25-year-old slow left-arm orthodox bowler went home as the Women’s Cricket Player of the Year, T20 Player of the Year, Women’s Players’ Player of the Year, and took home the Women’s Best Delivery Fuelled by KFC as well.
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🌟 The Women’s Players’ Player of the Year goes to Nonkululeko Mlaba! 🏅
An award earned through excellence, a spin sensation who has risen to every challenge and delivered with heart, consistency, and class. 🔥
Well deserved by the Queen of the turning track! 👑… pic.twitter.com/khmU2P8ebv
— Proteas Women (@ProteasWomenCSA) July 31, 2025
Although she makes it look effortless, achieving such an accomplishment is no easy feat, even for the best of them, and Mlaba’s emotional reaction is a testament to the hard work and hurdles one has to overcome in order to win not one, but four major awards.
For those who have been keeping up with the season, these nods come as no surprise, as her season has been characterised with various memorable moments and performances, including a continued dominance in One Day Internationals (ODI), as well as a 12-wicket T20 World Cup match against England, where she became the first women’s player to have up to 10 wickets in a Test match.
“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,” she told SABC.
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