Proteas captain Dane van Niekerk was named ‘Player of the Match’ for her match-winning innings for the Sydney Sixers in the Women’s Big Bash League.

She slammed 44 off just 23 balls, with four fours and three sixes, propelling the Sixers to a total of 160-5 against the Brisbane Heat. They had been teetering on 104-4 after 14 overs, a total which was based on Alyssa Healy’s 70 off 43. Van Niekerk took command as Sara McGlashan (8) and Angela Reakes (4) provided moral support.

Van Niekerk then took two wickets with her leg spin as the Heat fell nine runs short, giving the Sixers their sixth win in 10 matches and third place on the log. She still holds top spot on the wicket-takers’ chart, with 18 from 10 matches. She has a hat-trick and a best of 4-13 among them and an average of 11.05.

Her Proteas and Sixers teammate, Marizanne Kapp, added another wicket to her collection of nine, ranking her 15 for wickets won, and second in the economy-rate chart, with 4.92.

Another Saffa making waves in the WBBL is Proteas opener Lizelle Lee, who has scored 316 runs from 10 matches for the Melbourne Stars, ranking her five on the runs list. Of those, 90 runs have come from 15 sixes, making her the most prolific six-hitter in the series. Her best performance was 76, adding to a strike rate of 113.66

Her teammate Mignon du Preez is ranked 10th on the runs list with 264 from 10 matches, with a best of 58 and a strike rate of 113.30.