Sune Luus

Sune Luus often flies under the radar, performing crucial but unglamorous roles for South Africa. But growing up, she was anything but a quiet presence by virtue of her talent: she began playing cricket at the age of four, and was a member of the boys' Under-10 school teams by the age of seven. At just 13, she had already made her debut for Titans.

Her international debut did not take much longer to arrive - at the age of just 16, she was part of South Africa as a legspin-bowling allrounder. Subsequently, owing to disruptions to her action after an injury, she transitioned to being an offspinner who could still more than hold her own with both ball and bat. In 2016, Luus became only the second woman in the history of ODIs to score a half-century and take a five-for in a game, against Ireland. She capped off the year with a haul of 37 wickets, equalling the calendar record with Anisa Mohammed.

She is also the only woman with two six-fors in ODI cricket, highlighting her affinity to go big when she is in the spotlight. Her 109 against India in Chennai confirmed this reputation, showing she could be dependable even as a specialist batter when the conditions were unfamiliar.

Luus' temperament in the face of a challenge was tested when she was the obvious choice to step in as captain in Dane van Niekerk's absence for the 2023 T20 World Cup. South Africa made it to the final for the first time. When in the spotlight, it proved, Luus can be trusted to deliver.