Born in Vryheid, Natal, Cindy Eksteen is a former Test and ODI captain of South Africa.
A right hand batter and right are medium fast bowler, Cindy made her international debut in 1997 against Ireland at Belfast. She didn’t bat, but what a debut with the ball! She bowled 4.4 overs and took 4-4. Cindy would go on to play 36 ODIs and played in the 1997 and 2001 World Cups. She was the skipper in six matches, winning two.
In 2002 Cindy made her Test debut, along with the entire South African team. It had been thirty years since South Africa played a Test. Cindy was appointed captain, becoming only the third Test captain of the nation, after Sheelagh Nefdt (1960/61) and Maureen Payne (1972). The team played a one off Test against India at Paarl, but were no match for the visitors. Anjum Chopra’s team, including youngsters Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami won by 10 wickets. Cindy scored 25 and 17 while taking 2-64 with the ball.
Cindy’s final ODI was against England at Johannesburg in 2004. Over her 36 matches she scored 435 runs with a top score of 62. With the ball, 28 wickets at 30.82.