In the midst of their crucial partnership against Bangladesh on Monday, Chloe Tryon and Marizanne Kapp reminded themselves about the importance of extending their stand, and also took solace from knowing who was coming in next for the Proteas.
“We knew we had Nadine in the back end,” chirped Tryon, after another narrow win for the South Africans, that for the second match in a row was finished by Nadine de Klerk smashing an opposition bowler over midwicket for six.
Nadine de Klusener, Nadine de Clutch. Nadine de Conqueror. All new internet monikers for a 25-year old, who it is unlikely anyone thought would trend at this year’s World Cup. It was supposed to be the tournament of Smriti Mandhana, Phoebe Litchfield or Amelia Kerr.
But it’s in keeping with how de Klerk’s career has unfolded that she has operated under the radar, even as she has produced match-defining performances. Those have notably come in the T20 format; in the World Cup semifinal in Sydney, where she came into the starting XI as a replacement for Kapp and took 3/19 in a narrow defeat to the home team.
In the semi-final against England at the 2023 tournament in Cape Town, she starred with the ball again, producing a crucial spell which dismissed Nat Sciver-Brunt to help the Proteas earn a spot in the final.
But this year’s ODI World Cup has been a triumph for de Klerk with the bat. Her 84 off 54 balls against India and then 37 off 29 balls against Bangladesh have drawn comparisons with Lance Klusener’s legendary displays in England 26 years ago.
He rescued South Africa from several seemingly impossible positions in that World Cup, and de Klerk in her last two innings has turned matches in her team’s favour when the opposition would have felt the result was theirs.
South Africa needed 70 runs off 58 balls against Bangladesh when she arrived at the crease. Against India the equation read 110 off 85 deliveries. On both occasions de Klerk ended up partnering with unheralded lower order batters; Ayabonga Khaka averages 5.75 and Masabata Klaas 7.50.
Not only did de Klerk have to whack boundaries, she had to farm the strike too, while offering encouragement to batting partners in high-pressure situations. A heady mix of brawn, brains and composure.
Having hit five sixes in the win against India, and one against Bangladesh, it is understandable that she revels in her ability to give the ball a clout.
“I’ve always kind of been a power hitter since I was quite young,” she said after the India win.
“It’s not good for my heart to be honest,” she told the ICC’s website. “I have to love (the pressure), that’s my role in the side, to finish off games and it’s nice when it comes off.”
It’s an important point, because all ‘finishers’ walk a fine line between being heroes or getting charged as villains.
De Klerk has only become a regular at number eight this year, having batted for the most part at numbers six and seven, averaging 38.36, when coming to the crease at six. Eight is where Klusener played an epic innings to win South Africa a match against Pakistan in 1999, and then also memorably boshed 31 off 16 balls in THAT semifinal.
Batting at eight in this World Cup hasn’t involved an all out do or die approach from the start. She’s always had time when she’s arrived at the crease, but it’s actually a tribute to her that she’s known that and not gone hell for leather from ball one.
“It’s more about the tail enders or the back-end batters being in quite early, so it’s just about adapting to the conditions and building a partnership with whoever is in there and try to take games deep.”
She’s building quite the CV in India, and will undoubtedly be signing cheques in the bigger T20 leagues that have sprung up in the women’s game ― most notably the Women’s Premier League.
That won’t be the primary focus for the next few weeks. Dealing with pressure, will be, but as Tryon said on Monday night: “You can say that Nadine thrives off that.”
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