Ahead of the one-off Test against England, South Africa spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba reflected on the Women's T20 World Cup final loss to New Zealand and said still don't know what they did wrong.
"We're still trying to find our feet, because we just don't really know what we did wrong," BBC Sport quoted Mlaba as saying.
The spinner, who concluded with 12 scalps just behind Melie Kerr's 15 in the tournament, promised to bring the trophy back home soon.
"I felt like we had the World Cup but I don't know what happened to us on the day. But, we are going to come back and hopefully bring the trophy home soon."
Mlaba contributed to South Africa's UAE's runners-up campaign, while her 4-29 against West Indies in group stages. Proteas appeared to be the favorites of lifting the title in Dubai after their thumping win against the defending champions Australia, the eight-wicket win, sending their team into the semifinals against New Zealand. However, fate favored New Zealand because South Africa fell 32 runs short of the winning target against New Zealand in the pursuit of 159.
South Africa had little time to reflect on their recent setback as their multi-format series against England began just weeks later. The series offers an opportunity for Mlaba to potentially earn her fourth Test cap when South Africa faces England in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
Now a key figure in South Africa's bowling lineup, Mlaba's journey to the top has been anything but conventional. Growing up in a township in KwaZulu-Natal, her early passion was traditional Zulu dance. At the time, cricket was perceived as a sport predominantly for white people, presenting additional barriers.
With all the challenges South Africa has to endure and the dominance of cricket in private schools, Mlaba never gives up.
This month's KwaZulu-Natal Sportswoman of the Year states that she thanks all who have assisted her to be where she is. Rather than concentrating on the fact that she comes from a less fortunate background, Mlaba hopes to make many young girls from around the country pursue their dreams as well.
"It is simple, it comes from support and nothing beats support, motivation and belief," Mlaba says when asked about how to get more black women involved in cricket.
"Cricket is not as big in our country as rugby or football. In my township, I see a lot of talented boys but some don't become successful because of the mentality that it's because they are from the township.".
"I would say don't look at where you're coming from, it's not about that. If you're putting in the work, working harder, and working towards your goal, you will always succeed," Mlaba said.
So far, Mlaba has played 60 T20Is for South Africa and 26 ODIs, and she hopes to continue playing cricket for many years and contributing to the success of her team.
The Test against England on Saturday completes a crammed 2024, but the real excitement lies in what awaits. There's the World Cup in 50 overs in 2025 and the T20 World Cup in 2026, and Mlaba is not going to let anyone or anything get in the way of taking home the team's collective dream of winning their first-ever ICC title.
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