Who Is Shadley van Schalkwyk? The USA Pacer Who Rocked India with a Triple Blow
The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai hosted an event which resembled the ancient battle between David and Goliath. The match between India, the current T20 World Cup champions, and the United States, which holds the 18th world ranking, started at the Wankhede Stadium. The first innings powerplay period made it difficult to identify which team had the lower expected probability of winning the match.
India reached a score of 44 runs with one out after five overs. The scoring rate appeared slow according to their high standards yet the pitch conditions made their total score competitive. The match experienced a major change at that point. The Men in Blue lost three players to dismissal within six pitches which allowed the USA to take charge of the match. Shadley van Schalkwyk who had given up only eight runs during his previous over completely destroyed India's main batting lineup.
Very few fans knew his name before this game. He managed to dismiss Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube during one complete over. The 37-year-old right-arm pacer shocked everyone with his performance. Who is Shadley van Schalkwyk.
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Shadley began his professional life in South Africa after he was born in that country. He played domestic cricket for 12 years while representing Western Province from 2008 until 2020. Despite his continuous attempts he failed to reach the highest professional level. He became a United States citizen of cricket in 2021 when he relocated to the country before his 31st birthday.
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The Seattle Thunderbolts selected him for Minor League Cricket in June 2021. He played 28 international matches for the USA during the next three years which included 13 ODIs and 15 T20Is. His international career began in April 2024 when he participated in both the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 and the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Shadley remained inactive from T20I matches during a period that lasted almost two years. His last T20I match took place in August 2024. He made a comeback to the sport after 18 months of absence by showing impressive performance. The 37-year-old pacer achieved his best powerplay figures against India in T20 World Cup history by dismissing three Indian top batters.
- 3/10 – Shadley van Schalkwyk (USA), 2026
- 3/10 – Dirk Nannes (Australia), 2010
- 3/15 – Mohammad Asif (Pakistan), 2007