De Klerk eyes one final clutch moment to seal glory

Getting over the line is not something that has come easily to South African cricket over the years.

Time and time again their international sides – men's and women's – have come oh-so close to lifting a major trophy, only to fall at a final (or semi-final) hurdle.

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From Edgbaston in 1999, to Cape Town and then Dubai in 2023 and 2024, the story has been the same. That is until Lord's 2025 when the men's side lifted the World Test Championship to spark scenes of intense emotion among cricket-loving South Africans.

So with one albatross removed, it's over to the women's side, who face hosts India in Sunday's World Cup final in Navi Mumbai.

Step forward Nadine de Klerk, or "de Clutch" as she's become known this tournament.

Twice in tight group-stage matches the Pretoria-born all-rounder played match-winning innings against India and Bangladesh, hitting spectacular sixes to seal the game. A 17-ball 41 against Pakistan wasn't too bad either.

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"If we go back a couple of years, we would have probably ended up on the losing side", says de Klerk of the tight matches.

"It shows a bit of a different side to our team. Everybody's really hungry to win, [but] it's different to think that and another thing to actually show up and do the hard things."

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De Klerk represents a toughness to this South Africa side that has stood them in good stead in recent times, taking them to two T20 World Cup finals.

In 2023, they knocked out England with de Klerk bowling a brilliant four-over spell of 1-17. Last year saw them shock Australia in the UAE.

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"We've definitely moved away from, 'we're just gonna rock up at a World Cup and hope we give one or two teams a good run for their money'. Now we actually feel like we are really competing," she tells BBC Sport.

Though on both occasions South Africa lost in the subsequent final, de Klerk knows they're getting close: "Last year, losing against New Zealand in that World Cup final broke a lot of hearts, it was very emotional for a long time after that. So I think it [winning] would just change women's cricket in South Africa."

Having been bowled out for 69 against England in their tournament opener, South Africa then went on a five-game winning run for the first time in their history, powering them towards the final four.

Once there, they demolished England by 125 runs. They are on a roll.

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Speaking about her group-stage batting exploits, De Klerk adds: "It's part of my DNA being very feisty and quite aggressive and hating losing. Whenever I'm on a cricket field, I never feel it's over.

"Even if we need 12 or 14 [runs an over], I don't feel it's over. If you have wickets in hand and batters at the crease that are in anything can happen."

De Klerk, a highly-promising javelin thrower in her youth, has learnt to always show this resilience.

"My dad always told me 'you just never give up, it does not matter how it looks'," she said.

"And not just in cricket, I just think in general in life, things are not always going to go your way. You can sit in a corner and sulk about it, and it's not really going to change your situation.

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"I feel sometimes cricket can be won mentally. Like you can have all the skills in the world, but if you don't believe it or you don't back it, then it's kind of pointless.

"We have the team, the mentality, the grit, the fight and the skills to beat any side on any given day."

Could this be their year? With 'de Clutch' in their ranks, who'd bet against them this time finally getting their hands on a trophy?

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