Lizelle Lee retires: Ranking the South African star's best knocks
Lee has been a game-changing presence at the top of the order for South Africa since she made her debut in 2013. She racked up 5253 international runs in 184 matches, and also kept wickets when required, even holding the joint record for the most catches in an innings in T20Is (4).
Lee was a menace to the opposition, especially in the ODI format where she most recently won the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year 2021.
With her powerful stroke-making, Lee has turned the tide in South Africa's favour many a time over the years. Below we look at best of her knocks.
Lee held the distinction of becoming the first South Africa player to score a century in ICC Women's T20 World Cups, when she smashed Thailand around the park in 2020. This was also her first ton in the shortest format of the game.
Opting to bat first, South Africa lost their captain Dane van Niekerk early in the innings, but what followed was an exhibition in T20 batting from Lee and Sune Luus. Lee got off the mark with two fours in the first over and there was no stopping her thereafter. She raced to her fifty off just 36 balls and did so in style with a six.
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The next 50 runs came even quicker for the dashing opener. She got to her century with four, but was out the very next ball. The pair added had 131 runs in just 72 balls and laid the foundation for a massive target of 196. In response, Thailand were bowled out for a paltry 82.
Lee recorded her highest individual ODI score against India in Lucknow in March 2021 with a match-winning 132*.
Chasing 249 for the win, Lee was on song from the very first ball while the rest of the batting struggled to get going on a slow track in Lucknow. The opener got to her fifty in just 56 balls even as Laura Wolvaardt and Lara Goodall struck at below 50.
She didn't slow down even in the 90s. Lee put her foot on the pedal and got to her hundred in style with a maximum. This was her third hundred in the 50-over format, which was then the record for most centuries by a South African women's player in ODIs.
India struck back with two quick wickets and with the possibility of rain, South Africa needed to stay ahead of the DLS par score. Lee smashed Poonam Yadav for a six and followed it up with three fours in the next two overs. When it finally began to pour, South Africa were ahead by five runs by DLS method.
The match was eventually called off due to rain and Lizelle Lee was awarded the Player of the Match for her stunning innings of 132*.
Lee was a vital cog in South Africa's run into the semi-finals of the ICC Women's World Cup in 2017. Making her first appearance in the 50-over marquee event, she smashed two fifties in the first three games and followed it up with a stunning 92 against India.
After a slow start against India, Lee got going with two fours and a six off Shikha Pandey. She dished out the same treatment to veteran Jhulan Goswami a few overs later. However, it was her batting against the in-form Ekta Bisht that changed the game for South Africa.
Lee took a liking to the slow left-arm spin of Bisht and accumulated 25 runs off 11 balls in the innings. She punished the spin of Deepti Sharma as well, and by the time her innings came to an end – she was eight runs short of what would have been a well-deserved century – she had set the foundation for the middle-order to finish big.
South Africa posted 273/9 and a brilliant bowling effort saw India fall 115 runs short.
On her debut against Bangladesh in 2013, Lee showed her potential, smashing a half-century and taking home the Player of the Match award.
The South Africa bowlers did their job to restrict Bangladesh to 149. Chasing a modest total, openers Lizelle Lee and Trisha Chetty ensured complacency didn't set in. The explosive opener played the patient game initially. She stitched an opening stand worth 80 with Chetty and steadied the ship after two quick wickets.
Lee's fifty came off 102 balls, but then she accelerated. She fell when South Africa needed three runs to win, but had done her job before departing for 77.
Lizelle Lee scored her maiden ODI ton against Australia in 2016. The knock came in a losing cause, but is still considered one of Lee's best knocks given the circumstances under which she scored the runs.
Lee was the lone warrior of South Africa after they opted to bat first. The Proteas were cruising along at one point at 142/2, thanks to Lee's blitzkrieg. In typical Lee style, she brought up her fifty with a maximum and continued to milk the Australian bowlers for boundaries.
The century came off 86 balls, but the wicket off Mignon du Preez triggered a massive collapse. Lee fell after scoring her maiden century, an innings that was studded with six fours and seven sixes. South Africa were bowled out 173, of which Lee alone scored 102.
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