03|05|2026

by Scent Senti

Proteas premium spinner and former world number one T20 bowler Nonkululeko Mlaba has climbed three spots in the ICC T20 Rankings with just 41 days until South Africa begins its pursuit of a maiden ICC title. As for the Proteas even though they are going to the tournament as runner-ups from the previous tournament they are currently ranked as at number 4.

 

Mlaba, who recently took 6 wickets in the series against the world number two T20 side, climbed from No. 9 to No. 4. She is level with Deepti Sharma at 713 points.

 

While moving up the bowling rankings does not guarantee that Mlaba will be picking up wickets at the upcoming T20 World Cup in England, it does provide confidence. This is especially true given she is now among the best spinners in the world like Deepti, Sophie Ecclestone, and Sadia Iqbal.

 

Mlaba has been a consistent presence among the top 10 T20 bowlers in the world, but now, with just over a month until the tournament in England, she has broken into the top five in the rankings. This achievement stems from two strong consecutive series against New Zealand and India. The series at the start of the year against Pakistan saw her perform adequately as the Proteas won it 2-1. She took 4 for 78 in that series and maintained a good economy of 7.09.

 

South African journalists were critical of Mlaba's performance in the series against New Zealand, but she took 6 wickets for 117 runs in that series. She maintained the same average as the other top wicket-takers, and her strike rate was a respectable 14. The only area for which Mlaba could be criticized was her bowling economy of 8.35, which, notably, was on par with that of the other South African players. Amelia Kerr and her team were simply in good form, and the dropping of crucial catches did not help Mlaba and the other bowlers.

 

Against India, she took 6 for 138, and her figures were not an improvement on her performance against New Zealand, but she did improve her bowling economy to 6.90. The impact of Keshav Maharaj's inclusion in the coaching staff during the India series to help Mlaba and the other spinners cannot be overlooked, even if the statistics don't explicitly reflect it. It may be beneficial for Cricket South Africa to hire Maharaj as the spin-bowling consultant for the T20 World Cup.

 

Overall, Mlaba's rise in the rankings is not a fluke as she has taken 16 wickets this year in 12 innings. She will head into the World Cup brimming with confidence, and that is precisely what South Africa will need from her, as she provides the bowling unit with both control and assurance.