Mlaba puts West Indies in a spin as Proteas start World Cup with a win

Nonkululeko Mlaba’s wide grin lit up an already sunny day in Dubai, where the Proteas claimed a crucial victory in their opening T20 World Cup match, with their left-arm spinner very much the star. 

Mlaba, who has struggled for consistency in the past year, came good against the West Indies on Friday, producing a polished display as the Proteas opened their campaign with a 10-wicket victory at a sparsely populated Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

In what was a disciplined all-round performance by South Africa's bowlers, 24-year-old Mlaba took a career best 4/29, flummoxing the West Indies batters with clever changes of pace while getting the ball to grip and spin off the surface. 

The West Indies, who were put in to bat, were restricted to 118/6 in their 20 overs, with their batters struggling on a slow pitch, on which all the Proteas bowlers changed pace regularly, but most importantly maintained disciplined lines, targeting the stumps.

Openers Laura Wolvaardt and Tasmin Brits each made half-centuries, easily knocking off the required runs, reaching the target with 13 balls to spare. 

Speaking in the build-up, Wolvaardt made clear her team had put extra emphasis on the wickets of her counterpart Hayley Matthews and the returning Deandra Dottin, naming them as the danger batters in the West Indies line-up. 

It came as no surprise that it was Marizanne Kapp who dismissed both, with the South African celebrations an indication of the importance of the two wickets but also how well their plans had worked. 

Kapp bowled a tempting line outside off stump, swinging the new ball away from Matthews, who having struck one four through the covers, edged the penultimate ball of the third over to give wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta an easy catch.

Dottin struck three boundaries to get to 13 and it was a surprise that Wolvaardt didn’t give Kapp the over immediately after she’d arrived at the crease, after the dismissal of Qiana Josephs, who looked out of her depth and was Mlaba’s first wicket. 

Kapp bowled the first over after the power play and with her fifth delivery induced a false drive from the self-proclaimed “World Boss”, giving Wolvaardt a simple catch in the covers. 

The rest of the innings was about controlling the remaining West Indies batters, which the Proteas managed well, even if some of their fielding was sloppy. 

Mlaba bowled a magnificent 12th over, bamboozling Shemaine Campbell and dismissing her with a delicious arm-ball to end a 30-run partnership with Stafanie Taylor. 

Mlaba had Chinelle Henry caught behind first ball and claimed her fourth wicket with help from an excellent diving catch in the covers by Brits to get rid of Aaliyah Alleyne at the start of her final over to finish off a match-defining spell. 

Kapp was her usual thrifty self, taking 2/14, her spell included 17 dot balls.

Taylor was the West Indies' top scorer with an unbeaten 44 off 41 balls, but she struggled with the heat and could barely run in the latter stages of her innings.

Wolvaardt admitted afterwards she also found conditions difficult but was grateful for her bowlers' efforts in limiting the West Indies to a below-par total. 

While Brits battled with her timing initially, the South African captain led the charge during her team’s power play, hitting six of the seven fours while the fielding restrictions were in place. 

She finished on 59, hitting seven fours, and Brits, after coming to terms with the pace of the surface, struck an unbeaten 57 that included six fours. 

The win sets up the Proteas for a spot in the semifinal and relieves the pressure before the second match on Monday against a powerhouse England side.