Is it more significant that Ayabonga Khaka is the ninth woman, the first black woman, or the 34th player—regardless of gender or race—to play 100 One-Day Internationals for South Africa?
It depends on who you ask, as is the case with so much in South African cricket, which is still as divided along all possible fault lines as the rest of this stunted and misshapen society. Some people place the greatest importance on the initial component of the hat-trick. It’s the last for others. Others, who are mostly a small group of people who are thankfully nearing the conclusion of their journey away from this life, believe that none of the aforementioned matters because Khaka is not a man.
Yes, those guys. With a record 323 ODI caps for South Africa, Jacques Kallis has more than twice as many as his female counterpart, Mignon du Preez, who has only 154. For South Africa, five further men have participated in over 200 matches in the format.
Of course, other people have influenced these facts. With 463 ODIs, Sachin Tendulkar holds the record – 135 more than Kallis, who also has five for the Africa and ICC XIs. Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj are the only two female players with 200 games played. India is the men’s team with the most ODIs played, although the women’s team has more ODIs than the men’s team, with England, New Zealand, and Australia coming in that order.
Khaka’s role in all of it is hard to separate apart. She has unquestionably been one of the best seamen in South Africa. Only Shabnim Ismail and Marizanne Kapp have taken more wickets and amassed lower economy rates in One-Day Internationals than Khaka among bowlers who have bowled 500 overs or more for South Africa. Just 15 women out of the 962 who have bowled in ODIs have claimed more wickets than Khaka, and only 8 of those have been seamers.
Thus, when South Africa selected Khaka for the starting lineup for Wednesday’s game in Potchefstroom against Sri Lanka, it wasn’t because she needed one more cap to attain a milestone or because the player was Black. They chose a player because of her accomplishments, someone they felt they could rely on. They choose a victor. But because of what goes on around her, she is frequently ignored. The match on Wednesday served as an example.
Initially, Laura Wolvaardt scored 184 not out, which was the best score for a South African woman in an ODI and, for the next two or three hours, the fourth-highest score overall. Wolvaardt’s effort was demoted to fourth position after Chamari Athapaththu achieved an undefeated 195, the biggest innings in Sri Lankan history and the third-highest total all-around. With the help of what would be regarded as a choke of massive proportions even by South African standards, but which was actually a tragedy of complacency, the Lankans successfully chased a mark of 300 or more for the first time. Wolvaardt told reporters, “I think you always fancy yourself with a chance of winning with 300 on the board.” In those conditions, the fact that Khaka traveled so far below the radar that it might as well have been a submarine, catching Hansima Karunaratne and Kavisha Dilhari in the span of three deliveries.
In Kimberley, four days earlier, Khaka claimed three of the top six wickets for 28, but Wolvaardt’s 110 not out was the talk of the town. Khaka claimed 3/15 at Benoni in December as Bangladesh fell for 100. However, that came after Tazmin Brits had scored 118 and Wolvaardt had amassed 126, and the two had combined for 243, which was the fifth-highest opening stand in history and South Africa’s record partnership for any wicket. In her return of 3/31, Khaka defeated Sophie Devine and Amy Satterthwaite in a World Cup match in Hamilton in March 2022. However, Kapp was given credit for winning with her 2/44 and 34 not out. In February of last year, Khaka took 4/29 against England in the T20 World Cup semi-final at Newlands. Only for the British to steal the show and the player-of-the-match award with a 55-ball 68.
This isn’t whining or complaining. It’s the nature of cricket. Whereas some players are the cement holding the wall erect, others are bricks. Lean, angular, and humble, Khaka is export-quality cement—she falls into her run with accuracy the majority of the time. After that, she turned on her heel and repeated the action more times. No strut, no ego, and no drama exist.
“She was a bit emotional at the start of the game, which doesn’t happen very often with Aya; she’s soft-spoken and quiet,” Wolvaardt stated. She doesn’t seem to receive the recognition she merits. She has contributed so much over the years to this club and has been there for us in key moments during those 100 games.”
Wolvaardt undoubtedly said what was true, but you have to wonder what the owner of the smoothest cover drive in cricket thinks of a guy who tends to be overlooked like Khaka. In the final 10 overs of South Africa’s innings on Wednesday, Wolvaardt faced 30 balls. Out of those deliveries, she scored 58, 42 of which (almost three quarters) came from six fours and two sixes. Nevertheless, she claimed that she “just whacked some at the end and was able to find a couple of boundaries”.
Can Athapaththu, who led her side in the field on Wednesday and had the most exquisite timing and general-like decision-making at the crease, sympathize with the Khakas of the game? How could she, with her eye firmly fixed on the big picture, declare that her historic innings was not her most significant, that her retirement would come “very soon,” and that “I want to see my team in the semi-final of this [year’s] World Cup; that’s my wish”? Rather, it was her undefeated 178 in a World Cup match against Australia in Bristol: “I had the chance to play franchise cricket after that, where I gained a lot of knowledge.” I imparted my knowledge and learned from other players, even elite players.”
It’s hard to discuss in those words and think that way when you’re focused on keeping the wall straight. Athapaththu and Wolvaardt are two of the top brickmakers. They ought to be aware that bricks are just debris without cement.
