Born on November 20th 1983 in Rustenburg, Transvaal, former South Africa Test, ODI and T20I captain, Cri-Zelda Brits is the only South African captain to win a Test match.
It was quite a transition since Brits’ early career, first as a wicket keeper, then opening bowler, allrounder, then specialist with the bat. Perhaps seeing the game from all angles gave Cri-Zelda a good eye for captaincy.
An international debut in both ODI and Test cricket against India in 2001/2 saw Cri-Zelda’s debut as an opening bowler. The wicket keeping gloves long since gone from her days representing South Africa in U21s. That would be her key role for a number of years before ball gave way to bat and Brits could be seen batting in the top order.
By 2007 she is captain of both Test and ODI teams. In her only Test as captain, Cri-Zelda guided her team to a comprehensive 159 run victory against the Netherlands and remains the only South African woman to captain a winning team in Test cricket.
Only four Test matches in total for Brits, with 150 runs at 21.42, along with 6 wickets at 42.50. More impressive in the white ball game, in 69 matches, 1622 runs at 28.96 with a high score of 107*, along with 22 wickets at 26.40. In 19 T20Is, 405 runs at 27.00 with a high of 54. A rare opportunity for a cricketer from South Africa, playing all three formats and as captain.
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