Ayabonga Khaka

International career

Ayabonga Khaka was born on 18 July 1992 and plays as a right-arm medium bowler for the South African women’s cricket team. She became well known for her skills with the ball and earned a spot in the national team. In March 2018, Cricket South Africa awarded her a national contract ahead of the 2018–19 season, along with 13 other players. This was a significant achievement in her career and helped her step into the international cricket spotlight.

• 2009: Khaka was chosen for South Africa’s national Under 19 team.
• September 6, 2012: She played her first WODI for South Africa against Bangladesh at Mirpur.
• September 11, 2012: Khaka made her WT20I debut against Bangladesh at Mirpur.
• May 2018: During the series against Bangladesh, Khaka took her 50th WODI wicket.
• January 2020: She was named in South Africa’s squad for the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia.
• July 23, 2020: Khaka was selected for South Africa’s 24-woman squad to train ahead of their tour to England.
• January 2022: Khaka took her first five-wicket haul in WODIs against the West Indies, with figures of 5 for 26.
• February 2022: She was named in South Africa’s team for the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.
• March 2022: Khaka reached 100 wickets in WODIs during South Africa's first match of the World Cup against Bangladesh.
• June 2022: She was included in South Africa’s squad for the Women’s Test match against England.
• July 2022: Khaka competed in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
• 2023: She played in the Women’s T20 World Cup, where she led her team in wickets, taking 7 wickets in 4 matches.
• February 2023: In the semi-final against England, Khaka took 4 wickets with figures of 4/29.
• November 2024: Khaka was named in South Africa’s squad for their home series against England.
• October 20, 2024: She took one wicket in the final match against New Zealand in Dubai.
• October 2024: In preparation for the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, Khaka took two wickets against India in Dubai.
• December 11, 2024: Khaka played her last WODI against England at Potchefstroom.
• October 20, 2024: She played her final WT20I match against New Zealand in Dubai.

Leagues Participation

Ayabonga Khaka has participated in both the T20 Super League and the Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL).

T20 Super League

Ayabonga Khaka was part of the F Van der Merwe XI squad for the inaugural Women's Super League T20 in South Africa in 2019.

Year	Team	Notes
2019	F Van der Merwe XI	Part of the inaugural Women's Super League T20 in South Africa.

Women's Caribbean Premier League

In August 2022, Ayabonga Khaka joined the Guyana Amazon Warriors as an overseas player for the first edition of the Women's Caribbean Premier League. In one match against Trinbago Knight Riders Women, she took 1 wicket for 4 runs. Throughout the 2022 season, she scored 24 runs and took 2 wickets, playing an important role for her team.

Year	Team	Notes
2022	Guyana Amazon Warriors	Joined as an overseas player, took 1-4 against Trinbago Knight Riders Women, scored 24 runs and 2 wickets.

Domestic career

Ayabonga Khaka grew up in Middledrift, a small town near Alice in Eastern Cape, South Africa. She started playing cricket in the streets of her town and joined a formal team in Grade 1 at Ingwenya Primary School. At seven years old, she became the only girl on the boys' mini-cricket team. From the start, she preferred bowling because it was safer and more challenging, especially when playing against boys. She also liked how disciplined the sport was.

Khaka continued playing mini-cricket until she was 14. At that point, she didn't know about women's cricket and there were no other options for her. After a year of playing soccer at Ntabenkonyana Senior Secondary School, she returned to cricket in Grade 9 and joined the Middledrift Women's Cricket Club. She was selected for the Border Under 19 girls' team and played for the senior provincial team at the same time. Eventually, she chose cricket over soccer because she enjoyed it more.

In May 2022, Khaka played for the Spirit team in the 2022 Fair Break Invitational T20 in Dubai. She took the tournament's first five-wicket haul, with figures of 5/9 against the Sapphires. She was named player of the match and finished the tournament with nine wickets, earning a place in the Team of the Tournament.

Records and achievements

Ayabonga Khaka has achieved many milestones in her career.

• April 2024: First black woman to reach 100 caps with the South African women's national cricket team.
• 2021/2022: Won Cricket South Africa (CSA) Women's Player of the Year.
• 2022: Named Player of the Year at the FairBreak Invitational T20 tournament in Dubai.
• 2022: Selected for the ICC Women's ODI Team of the Year.
• 2023: Awarded Women’s T20I Bowler of the Year by ESPNcricinfo for her performance in the 2023 World Cup semi-final against England, where she took 4 wickets for 29 runs.
• May 2022: Played for Spirit in the FairBreak Invitational T20. She took the tournament's first five-wicket haul (5/9) against the Sapphires and was named Player of the Match.

Personal life

Ayabonga Khaka is known for balancing her cricket career with her personal life. She has worked hard to get to where she is today while keeping her private life mostly out of the spotlight.

Family

Khaka’s father is Khaya Mamba. There is no information available about her spouse or children at this time.

Finance

Khaka's net worth is estimated between 40,000 and 50,000 USD. Her wealth comes mainly from sponsorships and endorsements.

Fans

Khaka has a following of around 7,000 people on Instagram.