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Kyle Simmonds Crowned Overall Division 1 SACA MVP

The 2025/26 domestic cricket season concludes with Western Province all-rounder Kyle Simmonds named Division 1 Overall SACA MVP. Simmonds earned…

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Liam Alder Named Overall SACA MVP for Domestic Division 2

Following the completion of all domestic fixtures, Liam Alder of the Garden Route Badgers finished at the top of the…

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TWELVE YEARS OF RESEARCH-BASED PLAYER SERVICE

Over the past 12 years, the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) has cemented its dedication to evidence-based practice through a…

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Wolvaardt Climbs to Overall MVP Apex as Proteas Women

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) has confirmed the Proteas Women’s MVP rankings following the team’s historic journey to the Women’s ODI World Cup Final. The standings, powered by CricViz analytical data, confirm Laura Wolvaardt’s position at the top of the Proteas Women’s overall SACA MVP rankings, with Marizanne Kapp and Nadine de Klerk completing the top three after a remarkable ICC World Cup campaign.

Laura Wolvaardt holds onto her top spot in the overall Proteas Womens SACA MVP rankings on 195.685 MVP points. Her performance at the World Cup was record-shattering, as she finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer with a World Record 571 runs in a single edition. Her two centuries in the knockout stage, including a brilliant 169 in the semi-final against England and a resilient 101 in the final against India, demonstrated her leadership and class under the highest pressure.

Securing the second spot in the rankings was Marizanne Kapp with 119.272 MVP points. Kapp confirmed her position as one of the world’s premier all-rounders with game-changing performances throughout the World Cup. Her career-best 5/20 against England in the semi-final secured her place in history as the all-time leading wicket-taker in Women’s ODI World Cup history, with her consistent clutch contributions being pivotal to the Proteas’ final appearance.

Nadine de Klerk wrapped up her World Cup campaign in third position with a total of 104.807 MVP points. Her performances included an unbeaten 84 off just 54 balls against India during the World Cup, which set the record for the highest score by a batter from number seven or below in a Women’s World Cup match while chasing.

The SACA MVP rankings, driven by the analytical partnership with CricViz, move beyond traditional statistics to deliver an objective measure of player influence. This sophisticated model assesses a player’s performance on every ball, factoring in match-defining moments, opposition strength, and the high-pressure context of tournament play, providing an accurate reflection of their true value.

Andrew Breetzke, SACA CEO, commented: “This campaign was truly momentous, marking a historic pinnacle for our Proteas Women by reaching the World Cup Final. The quality of cricket played throughout this tournament has set a new, incredible benchmark for the future of the women’s game in South Africa, and the entire nation is profoundly proud of their outstanding resilience and skill.”

Proteas Women SACA MVP Rankings as of 4 November 2025
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MOMENTUM PROTEAS KEEP INDIA FROM SERIES WHITEWASH

India’s quest for a maiden bilateral series whitewash against South Africa was thwarted by the hosts with a resounding seven-wicket win in Potchefstroom. Laura Wolvaardt and Mignon du Preez, who both struck half-centuries, played protagonists in South Africa’s first win in the three-match series, aided by a brisk 41-run cameo from captain Dane van Niekerk and India’s sloppiness in the end overs of their 240-run defence.

Needing 63 off the last nine overs, and the fourth-wicket stand between du Preez and Niekerk worth only nine runs, Shikha Pandey dropped a Niekerk force at mid-off off the first ball of the 42nd over. Four balls later, legspinner Poonam Yadav gave herself a chance of picking up her second wicket and India a shot at sending back du Preez, only to be squandered by wicketkeeper Sushma Verma in the form of a missed stumping. When Poonam came back in the 44th to bowl her ninth over, she dropped a return catch off van Niekerk, who subsequently unleashed a flurry of drives and sweeps – some while falling on her knee – and peppered the square-leg boundary for quick runs. She totaled five fours in her unbeaten 30-ball innings, while routinely capitalising on overthrows from India in the back-end of the chase.

Van Niekerk’s ingenuity amounted to a 72-run stand with du Preez, who anchored the chase with an unbeaten 111-ball 90 that steered a 118-run third-wicket partnership with 18-year-old Wolvaardt. Coming into the game on the back of scores 9 and 21 in the previous two ODIs, Wolvaardt weathered the early loss of opening partner Lizelle Lee, and put on 41 runs with Andrie Steyn (30 off 53) en route to her 88-ball 59. In doing so, Wolvaardt became the youngest South African to notch up 1000 runs in ODI cricket. After Ekta Bisht removed Wolvaardt, du Preez kept the chase on track with plucky singles, including the one that sealed the chase with four balls to spare.

Out of the three changes made to India’s winning combination from the previous two matches, debutant Pooja Vastrakar, the teenage medium-pacer who came in for Jhulan Goswami, and Bisht, who replaced fellow left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad, leaked 77 runs between them for a solitary wicket in their combined 18 overs. The other change – in the batting department – Mona Meshram, who came in for Punam Raut, pinched 11 in her 22-ball labour during an India innings that blew hot and cold in their 240-run effort.
While Smriti Mandhana, the Player of the Series, followed her 135 and 84 with a duck, captain Mithali Raj fell for a 24-ball 4 as both found themselves in the middle of a blistering opening burst from Ayabonga Khaka and Shabnim Ismail, who topped and tailed her 9-1-30-4 with the wickets of Mandhana and tailender Bisht. Deepti Sharma, however, validated Raj’s decision to promote her to the opening role with a 112-ball 79. After van Niekerk brought Harmanpreet Kaur’s 35-ball 25 to an end, Deepti steadied India’s innings with an 83-run stand with Veda Krishnamurthy, becoming the youngest Indian to get to the 1000-run mark in women’s ODIs.

Krishnamurthy, meanwhile, added urgency to the innings with a quick-paced second straight fifty, before a run-a-ball 17 from Verma and 31-run blitz from Pandey hoisted India to 240 as the hosts bowled them out off the last ball of the innings, concluded by part-time bowler Chloe Tryon who took two wickets in her 10 overs.

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PROTEAS SLIP DOWN THE ICC TEST RANKINGS

Australia have opened up a six-point gap over India at the top of the ICC Test team rankings. This follows the annual update with the results from 2012/13 no longer included in the calculations and outcomes from the 2014/15 series weighted at 50 percent.

India now lead third-placed Pakistan by just one point. Pakistan have benefitted from the annual update as defeat against South Africa, 3-0, in 2012/13 no longer counts, while the 2-0 loss to Sri Lanka in 2014/15 has its weighting reduced to 50 percent.

The annual Test update has resulted in South Africa dropping from third position to sixth after conceding 17 points. This is due to South Africa’s victories over England, Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan in 2012/13 all being dropped from the rankings calculations.

The annual update has also affected the West Indies, who have retained their eighth position but have dropped from 76 points to 65 points. This is because their victories over New Zealand, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in 2012/13 have all been dropped from calculations.

The gap between the West Indies and ninth-ranked Bangladesh has been slashed from 29 points to just eight points.

With Sri Lanka and Pakistan set to visit England for three and four Tests respectively, Australia travelling to Sri Lanka in July for three Tests and South Africa hosting New Zealand in August for two Tests, the series outcomes may well result in significant movements on the team rankings.

 

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REAPING THE BENEFITS

Proteas Women all-rounder Sune Luus discovered that SACA Player Plus access played a big part in 2015 being one of the best years of her life

Thanks to her leg-spinning and game-closing batting, Sune Luus has been playing for the Proteas Women since she was a 16-year-old in high school. Her fortune is that in the intervening four years, she’s witnessed women’s cricket gain prominence, sponsors, fans and access to opportunities – the SACA Player Plus programme being one – like never before.

It helped her out of a quandary when she finished school in 2014…

“After matriculating I was basically in two minds. I was thinking of studying to be a teacher but I was worried that with all the touring and trying to go to class I’d struggle. Then we had a team gathering at the HPC in Pretoria with SACA where it was mentioned I could do a diploma geared towards elite athletes at University of Pretoria. It’s a year course but you can do it over two years which covers first year Sport Science and first year Education,” Luus says.

She immediately put up her hand, and found the subsequent process very easy.

“Applying for a bursary was really easy,” she recalls. “Our PDM Ruan Schlebusch gave me the application form, I filled it in, and he said he would take care of the rest… which he did. He was really helpful, there were no hassles.”

On top of that Luus, who turned 20 on January 5, found her first year in university rewarding, having spent very little time actually at Die Hoerskool Menlopark in her Matric year.

“I think I spent about three months at school in Matric because of how busy we were [thanks to tours to Qatar, Bangladesh and England] so last year was just so amazing being able to walk around campus, meet new people and have long training sessions in the afternoon. Initially, going to university was quite a scary idea, especially when I saw I’d have to wake up early for some 7:30 classes but it was a great journey… one of the best year’ of my life.”

Luus’ time-management will be tested this year though. After only one tour in 2015, the Proteas host England, West Indies, Bangladesh and New Zealand with the World Twenty20 in India in the middle.

“I do quite well on my own, but everybody needs support. My two loving parents are very supportive as is my brother who’s doing an honours in agriculture and knows what I’ll go through. Also, I grew up in a hardworking home, and apart from them my cricket teammates and coaches support me as well while my friends are always sending me SMS’ encouraging me.”

What about the university, will they be accommodating?

“Definitely, the course is geared towards elite athletes so lecturers help us a lot by sending our work via email and then we can send it back. I will also take my work with me wherever I travel.”

Having gone for the two-year option, and all things being well, Luus will end this year with a Higher Certificate in Sports Science [HCert (Sports Science)] with the option of choosing a more focussed degree in the Faculty of Humanities or Education. However, considering Momentum’s sponsorship of Cricket South Africa in 2013 allowed the women’s team to become contracted players, Luus could surely have just focused on cricket for now?

“We don’t get the same kind of money the Proteas men get so we can’t just play cricket, we have to get something behind our names. Also, we have to remember that if we get a long-term injury the contract won’t completely take care of you and somewhere along the line you’re going to have to stop whether you want to have children or age catches up. That said, it’s been awesome getting a contract and does make a difference. For example, after school my dad cut off my phone bill so I’ve been paying that and having money in the bank to pay for other expenses has been really helpful. Getting the bursary from SACA really helped too, because I might not be studying if it wasn’t for them.”

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NAGPUR PITCH RECEIVES OFFICIAL WARNING

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that Jamtha Stadium, Nagpur, has been given an official warning under the ICC Pitch Monitoring Process following the third Test between India and South Africa.

 

The sanction took into consideration the fact that there had been no concerns about the performance of the pitch after any of the other international matches played at this venue.

 

In reaching the verdict, the ICC agreed with the “poor” rating given to the pitch by Jeff Crowe, the match referee for the Nagpur Test played from 25-27 November, who observed that the pitch did not allow a fair contest between bat and the ball.

 

The finding was made by ICC General Manager – Cricket, Geoff Allardice, and ICC chief match referee, Ranjan Madugalle, after watching footage of the match, reviewing the post-match reports from Mr Crowe, and considering the response provided by the BCCI.

 

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ICC World T20 INDIA 2016 SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday announced the groups and schedule of the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016, which will be staged across eight venues in India from 8 March to 3 April.

A total of 58 tournament matches, including 35 men’s matches and 23 women’s matches, will be played in the 27-day tournament in Bengaluru, Chennai, Dharamsala, Kolkata, Mohali, Mumbai, Nagpur and New Delhi. New Delhi and Mumbai will host the semi-finals on 30 and 31 March, respectively, while Eden Gardens in Kolkata will be the venue of the 3 April finals. The women’s semi-finals and final will be followed by the men’s knock-out matches. There is a reserve day for the finals.

The men’s event will carry a total prize money of $5.6million, which is an 86 percent increase from the 2014 tournament, while the total prize money for the women’s event is $400,000, which is a 122 percent increase from the Bangladesh event.

There have been five different winners of the men’s event while the England women’s team won the inaugural tournament at home in 2009 before Australia won three straight titles in the West Indies, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in 2010, 2012 and 2014, respectively.

According to the men’s event format, eight sides in two groups of four, will feature in the first round matches with the group winners joining eight sides in the Super 10 stage (two groups of five teams). The top two sides from both the Super 10 Groups will then qualify for the semi-finals. In the women’s event, the 10 sides will be divided into two groups and the top two sides from each group will progress to the semi-finals.

The first round matches in the men’s event will take place in Dharamsala and Nagpur from 8-13 March and will feature Bangladesh, Netherlands, Ireland, debutant Oman (all in Group A), Zimbabwe, Scotland, Hong Kong and Afghanistan (all in Group B). In a double-header on the opening day on 8 March, Zimbabwe will face Hong Kong in the afternoon match, to be followed by the evening match between Scotland and Afghanistan. Both the matches will be played in Nagpur.

The group winners will join Australia, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and host India in the Super 10 stage, which will be played alongside the women’s event from 15-28 March.

Men’s defending champion Sri Lanka has been placed in Super 10 Group 1 along with South Africa, West Indies, England and the Group B winner. It will open its title defence against the Group B winner in Kolkata on 17 March, and play West Indies in Bengaluru on 20 March, England in New Delhi on 26 March and South Africa in New Delhi on 28 March.

Host India, which won the inaugural tournament in South Africa in 2007, is in Super 10 Group 2 along with 2009 winner Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand and the Group A winner. India will launch its campaign in Nagpur against New Zealand on 15 March, while it will go head to head with Pakistan in Dharamsala on 19 March. Its other matches will be against the Group A winner in Bengaluru on 23 March and Australia in Mohali on 27 March.

2009 champion Pakistan will take on the Group A winner in Kolkata on 16 March, before locking horns with traditional rival India in Dharamsala on 19 March. Its remaining two matches will be in Mohali against New Zealand and Australia on 22 and 25 March, respectively.

England, which won the 2010 tournament in the West Indies, takes on 2012 winner the West Indies in Mumbai on 16 March, followed by matches against South Africa (18 March in Mumbai), the Group B winner (23 March in New Delhi) and Sri Lanka (26 March in New Delhi).

After taking on England in its tournament opener, the West Indies will square off against Sri Lanka (20 March in Bengaluru), South Africa (25 March in Nagpur) and the Group B winner (27 March in Nagpur).

Meanwhile, in the women’s tournament, 2009 champion England is in Group B along with the West Indies, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and will start off against Bangladesh in Bengaluru on 17 March. Its other matches will be against India (22 March in Dharamsala), West Indies (24 March in Dharamsala) and Pakistan (27 March in Chennai).

Australia women, who will be bidding to win the title for the fourth straight time, is in Group A along with South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Ireland. Their opening match will be against South Africa (18 March in Nagpur), followed by matches against New Zealand (21 March in Nagpur), Sri Lanka (24 March in New Delhi) and Ireland (24 March in New Delhi).

ICC Chairman Mr Shashank Manohar, who attended the launch ceremony in Mumbai, said: “India is a country where cricket is a religion and not many places can match the passion for the game like India. I am fully confident that the Board of Control for Cricket in India will deliver an outstanding world cricket event, just like the ICC Cricket World Cups in 1987, 1996 and 2011.

“The ICC and BCCI are fully committed and will work together to make this a memorable event. I invite fans from across the world to witness fast-paced cricketing action on the field and enjoy the hospitality and culture of India, off it.”

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “The ICC World Twenty20 is an event which puts the world’s best cricketers in the shortest format of the game against each other in a nation versus nation contest.

“The Twenty20 format provides the perfect vehicle by which the ICC can further globalise the game, providing international exposure and opportunity to our top Associate and Affiliate members. The ICC World Twenty20 event structure is designed to provide highly competitive matches throughout, with eight evenly-matched sides fighting it out in the first round and the best two then getting in the mix with the top eight ranked teams in the Super 10 stage where the intensity and competition will be of the very highest level.”

BCCI Secretary Mr Anurag Thakur said: “We, as hosts, are fully prepared to organise one of the most entertaining spectacles in world cricket. We draw experience from hosting three ICC Cricket World Cups and are ready to make the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 one of the most memorable events.

“Our preparations are in full swing, and BCCI and ICC is working together to make it a lifetime experience for the players and the fans. India is a vibrant country – young, full of colour, energy and exuberance – and is very much like the concept of Twenty20 cricket itself. We would encourage everyone involved with the game to experience the best of India.”

The ICC World Twenty20 trophy was also present at the ceremony before it leaves Mumbai for Scotland on Sunday, 13 December, as part of the Nissan Trophy Tour. The trophy will return to New Delhi on 1 February after visiting 11 countries.

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NAGPUR PITCH RATED ‘POOR’

The Nagpur pitch used for the third Test between India and South Africa has been given a “poor” rating by the match referee, Jeff Crowe, in his report. The report has been submitted to the ICC, and the BCCI, which has been informed of the rating, will now have 14 days to respond.

The match finished inside three days, ending in an India victory, and there were several occasions of the ball misbehaving off the surface. Batsmen had to contend with variable turn, variable pace and variable bounce even on the first day of the game.

The match referee’s report, which included concerns raised by the match officials, will lead to a review of the Nagpur pitch’s performance. ICC’s General Manager of cricket Geoff Allardice and Chief Match Referee, Ranjan Madugalle will consider all the evidence, including studying video footage of the match, before reaching their decision on whether or not the pitch was poor and if so, whether a penalty should be imposed.

The penalty for a pitch that is called poor for the first time, as would be the case for Nagpur, can range from a warning and/or a fine of $15,000 with a directive to institute corrective measures.

The ICC’s pitch and outfield monitoring process in 2010 states that a pitch is said to be poor if it any of the following apply:

  • The pitch offers excessive seam movement at any stage of the match
  • The pitch displays excessive unevenness of bounce for any bowler at any stage of the match
  • The pitch offers excessive assistance to spin bowlers, especially early in the match
  • The pitch displays little or no seam movement or turn at any stage in the match together with no significant bounce or carry, thereby depriving the bowlers of a fair contest between bat and ball.

Thirty-three of the 40 wickets that fell were to spinners. South Africa, in their first innings, slumped to 12 for 5 and then 79 all out. Not a single batsman was able to score a fifty, which was a first for a Test in India.

The match narrative prompted strong criticism of the extent to which pitches have been made to suit spin but the Indian camp had been resolute in saying these are the conditions that should be expected in India. Captain Virat Kohli said it was up to the batsmen to adapt. Team director Ravi Shastri had said there was “nothing wrong with” the pitches in use for the series three days ago.

From the South African camp, their captain Hashim Amla had called the Nagpur pitch the toughest he has had in his 11-year Test career.

A senior BCCI official familiar with Indian pitches expressed surprise at the rating and even compared the Nagpur pitch to the Ashes Test earlier this summer at Trent Bridge. “Even that Test at Trent Bridge finished in two days, so I don’t know how this rating was arrived at,” the official said. He added that the Nagpur pitch had bounce, the ball was turning and seaming.

According to this official countries would keep doctoring pitches in the name of home advantage and that the best way to curb it is if the ICC appointed pitch inspectors for bilateral series. “The ICC should appoint five to six pitch inspectors, the itineraries are known well in advance. Send the inspectors well ahead of the series to various countries. Let them also study the pitches, understand the nature of the pitches and the local weather as such factors play a role. That is the only way to stop this [excess home advantage]”

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PROTEAS TAKE THE LEAD IN INDIA

Morne Morkel took 3 wickets in 4 balls and Quinton de Kock scored his seventh ODI century as the Castle Lager Proteas beat India by 18 runs at Rajkot on Sunday to establish a 2-1 lead in the Freedom Series with two matches still to be played.

 

Morkel is now the leading wicket-taker in the series with 7 dismissals and he has played a pivotal role in the Proteas bowling strategy of using short-pitched bowling on slow-paced pitches to stop the Indian run chases.

 

Today’s match was a typical example with India needing 123 runs off the last 20 overs with 8 wickets in hand to achieve victory – normally this would be considered a straight forward target. But the Proteas bowled superbly between overs 30 and 40 when Imran Tahir conceded only 9 runs in 4 overs in support of Morkel and Kagiso Rabada.

 

India, in fact, played no fewer than 35 dot balls during this period and then Morkel stepped up the pressure when he had MS Dhoni caught at backward point in a one-over spell going into the last 10 overs.

 

He came back later to dismiss Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane with successive deliveries in his next over to leave India with a required run rate of 10 to the over with no specialist batsman left at the crease.

 

It left Dale Steyn with a very comfortable 32 runs to defend in the last over. Morkel finished with the outstanding figures of 4/38 – his best ever figures against India – to be named Man of the Match while the two spinners, Imran and JP Duminy, took the other two wickets to fall.

 

India had three good partnerships at the start of their innings – 41 for the first wicket between Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma (65 off 74 balls, 7 fours and 2 sixes), 72 for the second between Sharma and Kohli (77 off 99 balls, 5 fours) and 80 for the third between Kohli and Dhoni (47 off 61, 5 fours) – but they were unable to match the century partnership that De Kock and Faf du Plessis (118 in 21 overs) put together that ultimately made the difference.

 

De Kock, playing in his 50th ODI, made his fourth century against India (103 off 118 balls, 11 fours and a six) in only his 7th match against these opponents and thus equalled the South African record for the most centuries against India that was equalled by AB de Villiers earlier in the series and originally established by Gary Kirsten.

 

Du Plessis contributed 60 off 63 balls, 6 fours).

 

De Kock suffered from dehydration in the extreme climatic conditions and De Villiers had to stand in for him behind the stumps for the first 30 overs of the Indian innings.

 

De Villiers again handled his attack superbly and it has been pleasing to see the way the Proteas have done the unexpected throughout the series with Imran opening the bowling in the one match, Farhaan Behardien, who again made an invaluable contribution with the bat, being used in the first power play in the same match, and David Miller opening the batting today.

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