De Klerk eyes one final clutch moment to seal glory

Over the years, South African cricket has struggled to get past the line.

Both their international teams, both men’s and women’s, have consistently come oh-so-close to winning a significant trophy, only to fall at the final (or semi-final) hurdle.

The narrative has remained the same from 1999’s Edgbaston to Cape Town and then Dubai in 2023 and 2024. That is until Lord’s 2025, when the men’s team won the World Test Championship and caused intense emotions in South Africans who love cricket.

In Navi Mumbai on Sunday, the women’s side will face hosts India in the world cup final. With one albatross removed, the women’s side will now face them.

Nadine de Klerk, or “de Clutch,” as she’s come to be known this tournament, moves forward.

The Pretoria-born all-rounder scored stunning sixes in thrilling group-stage matches against India and Bangladesh to seal the victory. Not bad either, with a 17-ball 41 against Pakistan.

De Klerk refers to the tight matches as “if we went back a few years, we would probably end up on the losing side.”

De Klerk embodies a toughness for this South African team, which has helped them win two T20 World Cup championships in recent years.

De Klerk bowled a superb four-over performance of 1-17 in their 2023 victory over England. They shocked Australia in the UAE last year.

We’ve definitely changed to “we’re just going to rock up at a World Cup and hope we give one or two teams a good run for their money,” he said. We actually feel like we’re actually competing, she tells BBC Sport.

South Africa lost in the subsequent final twice, but de Klerk is aware that they are getting closer. “Last year, losing to New Zealand in that World Cup final left many people very emotional,” de Klerk said. Therefore, I believe winning would only have a positive impact on South African women’s cricket.

South Africa started their tournament winning run with a 69-run run against England in their opening match of the tournament, before winning for the first time in their history by five games and making it to the final four.

By 125 runs, they had already demolished England there. They are performing well.

De Klerk continues, “It’s part of my DNA to be very feisty and quite aggressive and hate losing,” in a statement about her group-stage batting exploits. Never do I ever feel like a game is over on a cricket field.

De Klerk, a highly successful javelin thrower in her youth, has discovered how to always display this resilience.

She said, “You just never give up, it does not matter how it looks,” as my dad always said.

Things won’t always go your way in life, I just believe that’s true of life in general. Even if you can sulk about it, your situation won’t really change.

“I sometimes think cricket can be won mentally,” I think. It’s possible to possess all the skills in the world, but it’s kind of pointless if you don’t believe or support it.

We possess the strength, mentality, grit, fight, and ability to defeat any opponent on any given day.