Opener scores 160, rest of team scores zero in a bizarre match

“The time you feel lonely is the time you most need to be by yourself.”

Mpumalanga batswomen Shania-Lee Swart perhaps put this saying to great effect during the Cricket South Africa’s girls Under-19s week in Pretoria on Monday. She was undoubtedly the most lonely batter on the cricket field that day. The opening batsman played perhaps the most self-reliant knock in the history of cricket, scoring 160 from 86 balls in a 42-run victory over Easterns. Swart’s knock included 18 fours and 12 sixes. This contributes to 90 percent of the runs.

While this knock is remarkable by all standards of cricket at whatever level whet’s more amazing, astonishing and bizarre is that apart from her none of the batswomen contributed to the team score. When an individual smashed a 150 plus score in 86 balls, one would expect the team total to be mammoth. But, unfortunately, that was not the case as all eight of her team-mates came and went for a grand total of ZERO runs as her side racked up 169-8 in 20 overs. The other bonus nine runs were extras. She surely re-defined the meaning of being a team player.

Tumi Sekukune emerged as the most successful bowler for the Easterns and took an impressive five wickets for 15 runs. Three girls, Jammie de Vos, Shivani Nades, and Lebone Tlou, registered golden ducks (Maria Malaza, Shivani, and Lebone were all part of Tumi’s hat-trick). The longest anyone could survive at the crease was Chalize Swanepoel, Swart’s opening partner, who faced 10 balls before getting run out.

But, Tumi’s name wasn’t enough to overcome Swart – The One Women Team’ as Swart came back again and chipped in with 2-21 to restrict Easterns for 127-6 in reply.

Brief scores:

Mpumalanga 169 for 8 in 20 overs (Shania-Lee Swart 160*; Tumi Sekukune 5 for 15, Rode de Neysschen 1 for 18, Dieketseng Nchapelen 1 for 56) beat Easterns 127 (Carmen Nagel 63, Rode de Neysschen 19, Tumi Sekukune 10; Shania-Lee Swart 2 for 21; Jammie de Vos 1 for 34, Njabulo Nkabinde 1 for 10).