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Ayabonga Khaka

"Khaka" redirects here. For the ethnic group in Kashmir, see Khakha.

Ayabonga Khaka (born 18 July 1992) is a South African cricketer who plays for the national cricket team as a right-arm medium bowler.[1] In March 2018, she was one of fourteen players to be awarded a national contract by Cricket South Africa ahead of the 2018–19 season.[2]

Ayabonga Khaka
Khaka playing for South Africa during the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup
Personal information
Full name
Ayabonga Khaka
Born (1992-07-18) 18 July 1992 (age 32)
Middledrift, Eastern Cape, South Africa
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium
RoleBowler
International information
National side
ODI debut (cap 62)6 September 2012 v Bangladesh
Last ODI23 June 2024 v India
ODI shirt no.99
T20I debut (cap 29)11 September 2012 v Bangladesh
Last T20I20 October 2024 v New Zealand
T20I shirt no.99
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2007/08–2016/17Border
2017/18–presentCentral Gauteng
2020/21Supernovas
2022Velocity
2022Guyana Amazon Warriors
Career statistics
Competition WODI WT20I
Matches 103 68
Runs scored 125 36
Batting average 4.80 12.00
100s/50s 0/0 0/0
Top score 15 8*
Balls bowled 4,861 1,373
Wickets 131 54
Bowling average 25.81 28.29
5 wickets in innings 1 0
10 wickets in match 0 0
Best bowling 5/26 4/23
Catches/stumpings 30/– 11/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 21 October 2024
Medal record
Representing  South Africa
Women's Cricket
T20 World Cup
Runner-up 2023 South Africa
Runner-up 2024 UAE

Early life and education

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Khaka was born and raised in Middledrift (also Middeldrift or Ixesi), near Alice in Eastern Cape.[3][4] Her first experience of cricket was playing it in the streets of her home town.[4] She started playing the game formally while in grade 1 at Ingwenya Primary School. That year, at the age of seven, she became the only girl in the boys mini cricket team.[5][6][7]

Right from the beginning, Khaka preferred bowling to batting, as she was less likely to be hit by the ball, and it was challenging, especially against boys. She took particular pleasure in getting boys out. Another reason she liked cricket is that it involved a lot of discipline.[5]

Khaka continued playing mini cricket until she was 14, because no other choices were available to her, and she did not know about women's cricket. Then she started at Ntabenkonyana Senior Secondary School, where not much cricket was played. She therefore quit playing cricket, and took up soccer. The following year, when she was in grade 9, she resumed playing cricket, this time for Middledrift Women's Cricket Club.[5][6][4]

Eventually, Khaka had to choose between cricket and football. She opted for cricket because she enjoyed it more.[5] While playing at Middledrift Women's Cricket Club, she was selected for the Border Under 19 girls' team, and also played simultaneously for the senior provincial team. In 2009, she was selected for the national Under 19 team.[4]

Khaka spent much of her early career working with former men's national team fast bowler Mfuneko Ngam at the cricket academy of the University of Fort Hare in Alice.[8] As of 2020, she was studying Human Movement Sciences at the university.[3]

Career

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Khaka made her debut for the national team in September 2012 against Bangladesh.[1] In May 2018, she took her 50th wicket in Women's One Day Internationals (WODIs), during the series against Bangladesh.[9]

In September 2019, she was named in the F van der Merwe XI squad for the inaugural edition of the Women's T20 Super League in South Africa.[10][11] In January 2020, she was named in South Africa's squad for the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia.[12] On 23 July 2020, Khaka was named in South Africa's 24-woman squad to begin training in Pretoria, ahead of their tour to England.[13]

In January 2022, in the second match against the West Indies, Khaka took her first five-wicket haul in WODIs, with 5 for 26.[14] In February 2022, she was named in South Africa's team for the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.[15] In South Africa's first match of the tournament, against Bangladesh, Khaka took her 100th wicket in WODI cricket.[16]

In May 2022, Khaka played for the Spirit team in the privately run 2022 FairBreak Invitational T20 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. On 8 May 2022, she bagged the tournament's first five-wicket haul, by taking 5/9 against the Sapphires. She was also awarded player of the match.[17][18] At the end of the Invitational, she was included in the Team of the Tournament, after taking a total of nine wickets.[18]

In June 2022, Khaka was named in South Africa's Women's Test squad for their one-off match against England Women.[19] In July 2022, she was named in South Africa's team for the cricket tournament at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.[20] In August 2022, she was signed as an overseas player for Guyana Amazon Warriors for the inaugural edition of the Women's Caribbean Premier League.[21]

She was named in the South Africa squad for the 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup[22] and for the ODI part of their multi-format home series against England in November 2024.[23][24]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Ayabonga Khaka". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  2. ^ "Ntozakhe added to CSA womens' [sic] contracts". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  3. ^ a b Felem, Ayanda Frances (13 March 2020). "Ayabonga Khaka: Representing my country a dream come true". Eyewitness News (South Africa). Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Abrahams, Celine (4 June 2020). "Ayabonga Khaka Living Her Cricket Dream". gsport. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d Moosa, Fatima (29 March 2018). "Protea Bowler Ayabonga Khaka On Her Cricket Journey". The Daily Vox. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  6. ^ a b Tshwaku, Khanyiso (8 March 2020). "Proteas Women's Ayabonga Khaka shows her fighting spirit". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  7. ^ DRUM Digital (7 December 2018). "Meet the Proteas women's squad". Drum. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  8. ^ Upendran, Ananya (21 March 2022). "Ayabonga Khaka is South Africa's underrated seam dynamo". The Cricketer. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Ayabonga Khaka brings up 50 with career-best figures". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  10. ^ "Cricket South Africa launches four-team women's T20 league". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  11. ^ "CSA launches inaugural Women's T20 Super League". Cricket South Africa. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  12. ^ "South Africa news Dane van Niekerk to lead experienced South Africa squad in T20 World Cup". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  13. ^ "CSA to resume training camps for women's team". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  14. ^ "Dottin powers West Indies to dramatic Super Over win in Johannesburg". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  15. ^ "Lizelle Lee returns as South Africa announce experience-laden squad for Women's World Cup". Cricket South Africa. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  16. ^ "Ayabonga Khaka bowls South Africa to hard-fought win over Bangladesh". Women's CricZone. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  17. ^ gsport Newsroom (9 May 2022). "History Maker Ayabonga Khaka Destined for Bigger Leagues". gsport. Retrieved 10 May 2022. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  18. ^ a b "CSA congratulates Luus and Khaka after FairBreak Invitational success". Cricket South Africa. 16 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  19. ^ "Kapp, Lee and Jafta mark their return as South Africa announce squad for one-off Test and ODIs against England". Women's CricZone. Archived from the original on 16 November 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  20. ^ "No Dane van Niekerk for Commonwealth Games too, Luus to continue as South Africa captain". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  21. ^ "Athapaththu, Khaka and Luus brought in for Women's CPL and 6ixty". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  22. ^ "CSA Names Proteas Women Squad For Pakistan Series And T20 World Cup In UAE". Cricket South Africa. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  23. ^ "CSA Names Proteas Women Squads To Face England In T20I And ODI Series". Cricket South Africa. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  24. ^ "South Africa rest Kapp for T20 series with England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
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