USA’s Shadley van Schalkwyk (Special Arrangements)

NEW DELHI: It has been the Shadley van Schalkwyk show at the T20 World Cup 2026, with the South Africa-born American all-rounder’s excellence making heads turn. Schalkwyk comfortably leads the wicket-taking charts, recording 11 dismissals in three matches at an economy rate of 6.55, followed by Zimbabwe pacer Blessing Muzarabani (7 wickets). The 37-year-old all-rounder interestingly failed to record any dismissal in the T20 World Cup 2024 but now stands just six wickets away from the highest wicket tally (17) in any edition of the tournament.

USA kicked off their campaign on a stern note, facing off against India and Pakistan. However, Schalkwyk’s heroics put the team well within touching distance of an upset, recording spells of 4/25 against the Asian sides. The 37-year-old all-rounder’s capabilities especially stood out against India, accounting for three dismissals in an over, which helped reduce the Men in Blue to 77/6 at one point. Schalkwyk craftily varied his pace against the Indian batters who were looking to tonk the ball into the stands, sending Ishan Kishan, Tilak Verma and Shivam Dube back to the pavilion.“Shadley is an experienced bowler who can adapt to different conditions. He has been working extensively with USA bowling coach Dhammika Prasad on his slower ones and cutters, which definitely paid off against India. We were really on top,” said USA’s assistant coach Vincent Vinay Kumar during an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com.“The squad travelled to Sri Lanka for a one-month camp before the T20 World Cup, which has proved to be a game-changer,” he added.The experienced campaigner’s game sense similarly stood out against Pakistan, where he broke the opposition’s backbone with the noteworthy dismissals of Saim Ayub, Salman Agha and Faheem Ashraf, to name a few. Not content with this, Schalkwyk followed it up with a three-wicket haul against the Netherlands, helping USA record their maiden win in the ongoing edition by a mammoth margin of 93 runs.

Shadley van Schalkwyk with his wife Anzél Van Schalkwyk (Special Arrangements)

Father’s hard-hitting conversationInterestingly, the all-rounder had admitted that he wasn’t very good at cricket initially, failing to survive beyond three deliveries while playing on the streets, which reflected in his attitude. However, Schalkwyk’s father Henry, who is very passionate about sports, made sure of a decisive transformation, reflecting on the importance of putting your best foot forward and valuing time in a hard-hitting conversation. Purpose and enhanced ambition soon seeped in, reflecting in the all-rounder’s intent.Schalkwyk is a product of Wynberg Boys’ High School, whose alumni include Jacques Kallis. “I was very fortunate to study there. It was the only school that accepted me, to be fair, out of the four schools I applied to,” said the all-rounder in an exclusive conversation. While the 37-year-old looks quite at home in India currently, his first taste of Asian conditions came during a school tour of Pakistan in 2006.“I wasn’t going to leave Pakistan without a century, which came in my last match. My tally of dismissals wasn’t as expected. If I am being brutally honest, I didn’t have any mental prep for a tour like that. Gary Kirsten had mentioned that the ball would turn more in Pakistan, but it honestly just went straight over my head,” shared Schalkwyk, who idolises Brian Lara.Loss of contract teaches best lessonDespite a reputation of being a thorough professional, chances were initially hard to come by in South African domestic cricket, leaving the all-rounder relegated to the sidelines. It eventually came down to a scenario where Schalkwyk lost his first professional contract at 21 despite a good season. The all-rounder only had one pair of boots and couldn’t afford another one. “I had just married my girlfriend at that point. There were questions over paying rent. Thankfully, my wife helped out a lot,” said the 37-year-old cricketer.While such a situation can sap the morale of sportspersons with the strongest will, Schalkwyk took the positives from it, rediscovering his love for cricket. “The best lesson I’ve ever learned in cricket was when I lost my contract. It is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I realized how much I actually just want to play cricket,” stated the all-rounder.

Shadley van Schalkwyk during T20 World Cup 2024 (Special Arrangements)

Contemplating retirement at 28While the struggle for financial stability posed a concern, there even came a point where the 37-year-old cricketer contemplated retiring from cricket at the age of 28 following a shocking spate of injuries. Schalkwyk tore each of his calves three times in one season, having never suffered a calf injury before in his life.“That was probably the hardest injury I’ve gone through. I didn’t know what to do because there was no clue regarding the aspect going wrong. I told my friend, ‘I think I’m retiring’. It was also probably one of the toughest mental battles I’ve had to overcome. That is just with regard to injury, which I’ve had plenty. I have dislocated four fingers in each hand,” stated the all-rounder.“The second biggest challenge was believing that I am good enough to play at the highest level. It did feel like there were times where I only had one game to perform. And even if I did, I got dropped either way. There was definitely that insecurity. I maintain a diary which mentions the reason behind playing the game. Whenever I feel insecure, I simply look at those two lines and that gets me through a lot of tough times,” added Schalkwyk.Drawing inspiration from James Anderson, Tom BradyThe all-rounder has been a top performer for the USA after moving to the country in 2019, as well as in T20 leagues like Major League Cricket (MLC), where he represents the Knight Riders franchise. Schalkwyk continues to retain optimum impact at the age of 37, drawing inspiration from the likes of Tom Brady and James Anderson.“Earlier, they used to bench players after a certain age. Nowadays, it’s all a number. I doff my hat off to a lot of guys who are dispelling the myth regarding the need to retire at 36. There’s a lot of space for older sportspersons because with age, maturity and experience also play a massive role,” shared the cricketer.Schalkwyk has made peace with the past, overcoming disappointment regarding not representing South Africa despite his best efforts. His sole focus remains on simply emerging as the best possible version, maintaining mental strength, which certainly reflects in the stats column. “Shadley is the most confident bowler currently. He will be really eager to finish strongly against Namibia,” stated Kumar.