On the night of Friday, January 9 amid a hazy DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, the Indian spectators at the ground and the cricket faithful at large witnessed yet again the magic of a certain Nadine de Klerk, who in a near impossible situation calmly took her side home courtesy astute mindfulness coupled with the right aggression.
Hazy because the only thing our riveting city of Mumbai is maximizing these days is the detrimental side of AQI (Air Quality Index) amid construction aplenty and an incessant need to dig, perhaps with the illusion of finding some sort of elusive gold in the surface beneath. Well, it is what it is but coming back to the play, the match at hand was between the Royal Challengers Bangalore who Nadine has proved to become a vital part of and the Mumbai Indians in the sheen of women franchise tournaments, the Women’s Premier League.
Set a target of 155 on a surface that was conducive to seam and spin amid the moderately cold weather, RCB lost its stalwart Smriti Mandhana for all of 18 and the middle order followed suit as the women in Red and Black looked completely out of the game at 63 for 4. Well, in came the Pretoria born all-rounder, who started in a measured manner but kept sight of the chase in a crucial stand with India’s Arundhati Reddy as they added a vital 52 runs.
As the match reached its climax, RCB needed 18 runs of the last over with their hope of getting over the line still alive as de Klerk was set at the crease despite being dropped twice, sitters if I may and a run-out chance gone astray amid the keeper not gathering the ball while dismantling the stumps. But make no mistake, 18 runs of the last over was not going to be a cake walk!
England’s premier all-rounder Nat Sciver Brunt had the ball, as the first two deliveries were dots with the pressure mounting on Nadine. As Brunt came in to bowl the third delivery, de Klerk made room and hoisted the bowler over cover for a huge maximum. The situation now read, 12 of 3 balls, the pressure was still on albeit Nadine had a steely resolve in her eyes.
The next delivery was pulled for a four as she went past her fifty and the one after deposited over mid-wicket for a six.
Nadine De Klerk had taken control of the game with just two required of the last ball and she lifted this too for a four over long off. The match was done and dusted, and Nadine had yet again proved why she increasingly has become a finisher par excellence with a match-changing 63 of just 44 balls. And this was not all as the South African warrior had picked up four crucial wickets in Mumbai’s innings taking the vital scalps of Nat Sciver Brunt and captain, Harmanpreet Kaur.
A complete performance, if one were to reckon
Perhaps a feeling of déjà vu for the Indian fan who had witnessed Nadine play a similar innings in the ODI World Cup against the Women in Blue some months prior in Visakhapatnam, as she annihilated India with a match-defining 84 of just 54 balls including eight fours and five maximums chasing a steep target of 252. Truly cementing her stature as the most important finisher not only for South Africa but also for the franchise teams in world cricket.
So, how has this been possible?
Mindfulness Coupled with Measured Aggression
Nadine de Klerk is not the traditional blaster who often goes by the philosophy of see ball, hit ball. She often bides her time when she comes to the crease, knocking the initial few deliveries for singles, getting acclimatised to the conditions and then accelerates into the fifth gear as the situation demands.
Hence, she is settled in her mind as well as at the crease when its time to hit the top gear and often ends on the right side of the play to see her team home or put an impressive total on the board if batting first.
This holds her in good stead to become the vital finisher for the Proteas as well as her franchise sides.
Confidence That’s Always High
To achieve any goal in life one must be confident about his or abilities and the same trait holds true
even on the 22 yards. Nadine de Klerk emits confidence be it in her bowling or batting which gives her the fuel to fire at the right time to take those crucial wickets when her team demands or mount those epic runs that can help her side put up huge totals or surmount the mountain of runs piled by the opposition team.
Her play almost seems Klusener-esque in the current era, who in his own nonchalant way always exuded confidence for the Proteas with the classic case being the 1999 ODI World Cup where he redefined the role of a finisher and was equally adept with the ball. Perhaps also central to Nadine’s growing assurance is the unwavering backing she has received within the Proteas setup, particularly from national coach Mandla Mashimbyi.
His faith has emboldened her to embrace fearless cricket — a mindset rooted in clarity, intent and courage and the results have been emphatic. As she moves forward, one can only hope that her confidence, mindfulness and controlled aggression continue to rise in unison.
Because when Nadine is in full flight, she doesn’t merely elevate her own game — she raises the belief and ambition of every team she represents, whether in Proteas Green and Gold or franchise colours.
And as has been evident of late, in those moments Laura Wolvaardt’s side no longer settles for competitiveness; they assert themselves as the world beaters they have always threatened to become.
