17 June 2025, Johannesburg
Ken Borland sat down with DP World Lions Women’s Off-spinner Raisibe Ntozakhe recently for an exclusive interview.
Raisibe Ntozakhe epitomises the excellence of the DP World Lions women’s side, but in terms of inspiring her team-mates, it is not so much her 25 wickets across the two formats that demand respect but her incredible comeback story.
Ntozakhe was first exposed to cricket in Mokopane in Limpopo, but it was her family’s move to Alexandra township in Johannesburg that saw her enter the Lions pipeline. Her talent and athleticism was immediately noticed and she made her debut for the Gauteng senior provincial side having turned 14 only two months earlier.
She took three wickets on debut and her progress was ever-upwards until she made her debut for South Africa in 2017. But before the end of 2018, her career was in tatters.
On the day Ntozakhe was named in the Proteas squad for the T20 World Cup, she was banned by the International Cricket Council for an illegal bowling action. It took her nearly three years to fix her action, but even then her hardships were not over.
The physical kinetics of her action may have then passed muster with the ICC, but now Ntozakhe had to re-groove this new action to return to the Lions team, as well as dealing with all the psychological effects of what she went through. Confidence is a massive part of cricketing success and she understandably struggled with performance anxiety; in the heat of battle, opposing batters were not going to have any sympathy and would target her and punish any weak bowling.
Now 28, it felt like Ntozakhe had finally completed the rehabilitation of her career in May when she was named as the Lions’ Player of the Season, as well as the best bowler in both their T20 and triumphant Pro50 campaigns.
“It’s a huge honour to be named Player of the Season and I feel it’s something I owed to myself. For a long time, things were very rough and it’s been a journey. A lot of mental strength was required and I had to be very resilient. I’m very glad I managed to bring it all together and show what kind of character I am,” Ntozakhe said amidst her tears of joy and relief at the awards dinner in Fourways.
“It took a lot of hard work, which is why I am crying tonight because now I am reaping the rewards. Now I see how much I have done for myself, I have believed and conquered so much. Of course, to fix my bowling action, a lot of people have played a huge role and I am very grateful to them.
“I had been bowling for so long and then suddenly I couldn’t do it anymore. For more than two years I didn’t take a wicket, I lost my Proteas contract, but my family and their support were always there for me, they treated me the same as always. I had depression and such anxiety, but my sisters Lorraine and Nhlanhla, and my mom and grandmother stood by me. Ayabonga Khaka and Tumi Sekhukhune [Lions team-mates] were also very supportive.
“And then I had to deal with performance anxiety. Yes, I might have been cleared to bowl, but people are still speaking about you, looking at all your angles. Psychologically, I had so many sessions, but I realised that if I was not willing to do something on my own then it wouldn’t work. I had to step forward, the ball was in my court,” Ntozakhe said.
In a strange way, her then mental fragility aided her superb comeback by ensuring she did not get ahead of herself tactically. Ntozakhe decided that instead of focusing on taking wickets, she would ease her way back into the contest by concentrating on making sure batters did not score briskly against her, thereby creating pressure that would lead to wickets.
“I used to fight with the coaches because they wanted me to focus on taking wickets, they said that’s what we need. But for me it was more psychological: If I get hit what will happen?
“So that’s when I started bowling in partnership with Kgomotso Rapoo in the nets, we would set up scenarios, and that made it easier for me. We would set targets in terms of only conceding so many runs and taking so many wickets. So she would contain if I went for runs, or I would contain if she was releasing the pressure. It was all about who gets hit the least, focusing on the run-rate and trying to take that down.
“But it’s not the same in the nets, you need to be under that pressure in the middle. So I started playing more club games for Soweto Cricket Club because there was no real pressure in the nets. Palesa Mapoo [Soweto captain] said I must bowl first change and told me ‘You’re back’. But I said, ‘No, I still have to do it at provincial level’.
“That’s how I got ready for the Big Show. I told Lions coach Shaun Pretorius that I wanted to bowl more in matches. I had to be strong to overcome that anxiety, I told myself even if I get hit, I will bounce back twice as hard. Once I understood my goal then the confidence factor came back. You have to respond when you get hit, otherwise you can fall back into old habits. You have to maintain your calm,” Ntozakhe said.
Hailing from Tsutsumani Village, Ntozakhe has been most unfortunate not to be involved in the winter program of the South Africa Emerging team. But she is patient, although determined, when it comes to playing for the Proteas again for the first time since June 2022.
“I never stop dreaming of playing for the Proteas again, but my number one goal is to keep bowling consistently and do the work required for that. Then maybe I will get picked for the SA Emerging team or the national academy, and from there I can make it back to the Proteas.
“In the meantime, I’m getting my Level III coaching certificate so I can keep growing and beyond. God has a time for everything and my journey is just different. I’m in no rush, when the time is right, I will grasp the opportunity,” she said.
Imagine Ntozakhe turning out for South Africa in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics women’s cricket competition and how her triumphant story of mental strength would resonate on such a global stage.
A gutsy cricketer, Ntozakhe showed this season how she is able to step up on the biggest stages, her incredible performance in the top-of-the-log clash against the KZN Dolphins at the Wanderers being the major reason the Lions won the Pro50 title. Ntozakhe took a phenomenal five for 11 in eight overs as the previous log-leaders were bundled out for just 61 at the Bullring.
“That five for 11 against the Dolphins was the highlight of all the games. Especially since it was at the Wanderers, where I made my comeback for the Proteas against the West Indies in 2022 and I took my first wicket for my country in nearly four years. I had waited so long. My mom was at the ground and I kissed the pitch for her and thanked God. Oh my gosh, just to be bowling again! And then I had to come back to my rhythm and then have the belief that I could do it.
“I don’t know if I did anything differently against the Dolphins, I just tried to bowl to keep the strike-rate down, I don’t like getting hit. Ayabonga Khaka was talking to me, telling me not to bowl to get wickets because then you won’t get them. To get five wickets in such a crucial match was really the bonus which I needed for having worked so hard, for my patience and perseverance, I fought many battles,” Ntozakhe said.
Despite being dropped for two matches at the start of the season, Ntozakhe ended with the second-most wickets in the 50-over competition – 16 in eight matches at the best average of 12.81,conceding just 3.47 runs-per-over. Rapoo was the leading overall wicket-taker with 18 in 10 games.
Ntozakhe was the DP World Lions’ leading wicket-taker in the Pro20 tournament.
But it’s not so much the miracles she performs with the ball that inspire, but rather her influence in the changeroom, where her team-mates know just how far she has had to climb to get out of a very dark place.
“It was a wake-up call for myself, it gave me more mental awareness and I learned to speak for myself. I’ve learned that my voice is important, in any situation, and if I talk about my struggles, you can see it helping the younger players, I can be a mentor for them,” Ntozakhe said.
Nicknamed ‘Slice’, as in a just a little slice of bread, from her younger days playing with boys and girls older and bigger than her, Ntozakhe has a weighty presence in Central Gauteng Lions cricket and is a staple figure in their success.