Johannesburg – 7 October 2025:
The superb bowling of Relebohile Mkhize and Raisibe Ntozakhe was the downfall of the Dolphins as they led our DP World Lions ladies team to a three-wicket victory in their Pro20 match at the DP World Wanderers Stadium at the weekend.
The left-arm swing of Mkhize saw her move the ball both ways as she blew way the Dolphins top-order with an outstanding three for 11 in four overs.
With the Dolphins lurching to 19 for four, the spinners then took over and off-spinner Ntozakhe wrapped up the innings with her four for 16, bowling the visitors out for 77 inside 19 overs.
The DP World Lions then also struggled with the bat, but the experience of Sunette Viljoen-Louw steered them home midway through the 15th over, with seven wickets down.
The Dolphins had won the toss and chosen to bat first, but Mkhize produced the most beautiful of inswingers to bowl the dangerous Nicole de Klerk for 10 at the end of her second over.
With the first delivery of her third over, the University of Johannesburg student then put herself on a hat-trick by running the ball across Alexander Candler and having her caught behind for 4.
Courtney Gounden would dig out the yorker attempt to prevent the hat-trick, but Mkhize struck again just three balls later when Asamkele Kawu was caught in the covers for a single.
Ntozakhe then showed why she has played 33 times for her country. Her flight and control was too much for Gounden in the end as, hitting out, she was caught at mid-off for 18, Ntozakhe ending a partnership of 40 for the sixth wicket.
The 28-year-old then removed the Dolphins’ top-scorer, Micaela Andrews (23), four balls later, totally deceiving her and drawing a top-edge straight up in the air for debutant wicketkeeper Neo Molefe to take the second of her three catches.
Captain Ntozakhe then switched ends and, taking all the pace off the ball, bowled a sweeping Jade de Figueiredo for a first-ball duck. Two deliveries later, she claimed the final wicket as Dolphins skipper Zintle Mali (8) was caught on the cow-corner boundary.
Youngsters Sarah Nettleton (4-0-12-1) and Fay Cowling (3-0-14-1) were also excellent in giving very little away.
Our DP World Lions found themselves under early pressure with the bat as well as they slipped to 36 for five, but Viljoen-Louw was deaf to the external noises as she compiled a wonderfully controlled 32 not out off 31 balls to win the match. The veteran was watchful but manipulated the ball around the DP World Wanderers Stadium brilliantly, while also putting away five fours.
Cowling scored 14 and helped her in the biggest partnership of the innings – 28 for the sixth wicket.
In the Pro50 match the previous day, the DP World Lions narrowly failed to chase down their target of 247, losing by 12 runs as they were bowled out for 234 on the final ball of their allotted 50 overs.
Their innings had too many starts and not enough contributions of substance: eight batters reached double figures but no-one scored more than 42. Perhaps it is to be expected with a new-look, young top-order in the absence of the retired Kirstie Thomson.
Diara Ramlakan opened the batting and batted brightly for 30 off 38 deliveries, while fast bowler Shabnim Ismail, batting at number five, looked accomplished in scoring 38 off 57 balls.
Jenna Evans (34), Viljoen-Louw (28) and Cowling, who top-scored with a fiery 42 off just 22 deliveries, all played promising innings but were unable to carry them through.
The Dolphins, who elected to bat first, made it to 246 thanks to Nicole de Klerk’s aggressive 80 off 73 balls, while Courtney Gounden scored 45 in a second-wicket partnership of 92.
Cowling (8-3-23-2) was impressive with the ball, while Ntozakhe took three wickets. Leg-spinner Madison Landsman wrapped up the Dolphins innings with three for 13.
Squad: Kgomotso Rapoo, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Shabnim Ismail, Razeena Manack, Diara Ramlakan, Sarah Nettleton, Madison Landsman, Relebohile Mkhize, Sunette Viljoen-Louw, Nonkhululeko Thabethe, Fay Cowling, Jenna Evans, Neo Molefe, Leani Swanepoel.