Ayabonga Khaka’s Personal Details
Name: Ayabonga Khaka
Date of Birth: July 18, 1992
Batting style: Right hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right arm Medium
Role: Bowler
Ayabonga Khaka has been the quiet heartbeat of South Africa’s bowling attack, a bowler who doesn’t always chase the headlines but invariably delivers control, discipline, and breakthroughs when her team needs them most. In 2024, she etched her name into history by becoming the first Black African woman to play 100 ODIs for South Africa, a milestone that spoke volumes not only of her endurance but also of her pioneering role in the game.
Khaka’s cricketing journey began in the streets of Middledrift in Eastern Cape, where as a seven-year-old she was the only girl in a boys’ mini-cricket team. Bowling quickly became her craft and her calling, she relished the challenge of outsmarting boys, found joy in the discipline it demanded, and gradually rose through the provincial ranks until her international debut in 2012 against Bangladesh. What followed was a career built on persistence, adaptability, and an unerring ability to keep batters in check.
Ayabonga Khaka’s International Career
Across formats, Khaka has collected more than 180 international wickets, including 136 scalps in One-Day Internationals, making her one of South Africa’s most prolific ODI bowlers. While she is not always known for dramatic hauls, her reliability has been invaluable. Her maiden five-wicket haul came in 2022 against West Indies, when she took 5/26 in a match-defining spell, a performance that underlined her ability to step up when the stakes were high. She is a bowler captains can turn to for control in the toughest phases of a game.
Khaka’s career has also stretched beyond South Africa’s borders. She has featured in global tournaments such as the FairBreak Invitational, where she claimed a memorable 5/9 in 2022 and earned a place in the Team of the Tournament. She has also represented franchises like the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League, showcasing her skill on the international T20 stage.
From the young girl who first picked up a ball on dusty Eastern Cape fields to a trailblazer with over 100 ODIs and a pioneering legacy, Ayabonga Khaka’s story is one of grit and quiet excellence. She may not always dominate the headlines, but for South Africa and women’s cricket, she remains a symbol of resilience and consistency, a bowler whose impact has been far greater than the numbers alone suggest.
Loves all things female cricket