Sune Luus

International career

Suné Elbie Luus was born on January 5, 1996, in South Africa. She plays as a spin bowling all-rounder for the national cricket team. Suné is known for her skill both as a bowler and as a batter. She has become an important player for South Africa and has consistently helped the team in many matches. Her performances have made her one of the standout figures in women's cricket.

• WTest:
  • Debut: SA Women vs ENG Women at Taunton – June 27–30, 2022
  • Last Match: ENG Women vs SA Women at Bloemfontein – December 15–17, 2024
• WODI:
  • Debut: SA Women vs BAN Women at Mirpur – September 06, 2012
  • Last Match: SA Women vs ENG Women at Durban – December 08, 2024
• WT20I:
  • Debut: SA Women vs BAN Women at Mirpur – September 11, 2012
  • Last Match: SA Women vs ENG Women at Centurion – November 30, 2024

Suné Luus started playing for the South African national team in September 2012 when she was just 16 years old. She was encouraged by Jacques Rudolph, a men's Test batsman, to try leg spin bowling.

• August 5, 2016: During a match against Ireland, Luus scored 52 runs and took 6 wickets. She became the second player to score a half-century and take five wickets in a women’s ODI.
• 2016: She took 37 wickets in the year, tying the record for the most wickets in a calendar year in women’s ODIs. Along with Chloe Tryon, Luus set the record for the highest sixth-wicket partnership in WODI history with 142 runs.
• May 2017: Luus was named Women's Cricketer of the Year at Cricket South Africa's awards.
• March 2018: She received a national contract from Cricket South Africa for the 2018–19 season.
• October 2018: She was part of South Africa's squad for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies.
• January 2020: Luus was included in South Africa's squad for the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia.
• January 2020: In the third WODI against New Zealand, Luus became the first bowler to take two six-wicket hauls in WODI cricket. She took 6 wickets for 45 runs in ten overs. South Africa won the series 3–0, and Luus was named Player of the Series.
• July 23, 2020: Luus was named in South Africa's squad to train ahead of their tour to England.
• January 2021: During the series against Pakistan, Luus reached 100 wickets, becoming the tenth cricketer to score 1,000 runs and take 100 wickets in WODIs.
• February 2022: Luus was named captain for South Africa in the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand after Dane van Niekerk was injured. On March 31, 2022, she played her 100th WODI match in the semi-final against England.
• June 2022: Luus captained South Africa in their one-off Women's Test match against England. She made her Test debut on June 27, 2022.
• July 2022: Luus was appointed captain of South Africa for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
• 2024: Luus was named in South Africa's squad for the 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup and the home series against England in November 2024.
• October 9, 2024: In a match between South Africa and Scotland, Luus caught a ball thrown by herself and scored 18 points from 13 shots.

Leagues Participation

Suné Luus has played in several well-known women's cricket leagues, including the Women's Caribbean Premier League, Women's Big Bash League, and Women's T20 Super League. These leagues have allowed her to compete with top players and improve her skills in different settings.

Women's Caribbean Premier League

In August 2022, Suné Luus joined Trinbago Knight Riders as an overseas player for the first edition of the Women's Caribbean Premier League. She scored 38 runs and took 2 wickets in the tournament from 48 balls.

Year	Team	Notes
2022	Trinbago Knight Riders	Played as an overseas player; scored 38 runs and took 2 wickets from 48 balls.

Women's Big Bash League

In November 2018, Suné Luus joined the Brisbane Heat squad for the 2018–19 Women's Big Bash League season. She scored 27 runs and took 5 wickets during the season. Luus played in nine matches, with her best bowling figures being 2 wickets for 16 runs.

Year	Team	Notes
2018–19	Brisbane Heat	Scored 27 runs, took 5 wickets in 9 matches with best figures of 2/16.

Women's T20 Super League

In September 2019, Suné Luus was named to the M van der Merwe XI squad for the first edition of the Women's T20 Super League in South Africa.

Year	Team	Notes
2019	M van der Merwe XI	Named in the squad for the inaugural Women's T20 Super League.

Domestic career

Suné Luus is a South African cricketer who has played for teams like South Africa Women, Brisbane Heat Women, Lancashire Thunder, and Titans Women. She grew up in Pretoria and started playing cricket at a very young age. Her father introduced her to the game when she was just four years old. By seven, she joined her primary school’s Under-10 boys’ team. She played as a keeper, allrounder, and opening pace bowler.

Luus also played women’s club cricket and was picked for the Northerns Under-13 provincial team. She moved quickly, joining the Under-19 provincial team at 12 and then the senior provincial team. In 2009, she was selected for the Under-19 national team, leading them to two undefeated national championships in 2010 and 2011.

Alongside cricket, Luus played competitive tennis. However, she chose cricket over tennis because she saw more potential for growth. During her final year of school in 2014, she spent most of her time playing cricket. She later decided to study Sports Science, with a bursary to help fund her studies. After the university couldn’t offer the right practical training, she switched to studying communication science at Unisa.

In 2018, Luus joined the Brisbane Heat squad for the Women's Big Bash League. In 2022, she played for Trinbago Knight Riders in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League.

Other Leagues

Suné Luus played in the FairBreak Invitational T20, a tournament designed to support gender equality in women’s cricket. The tournament is ICC-sanctioned and takes place in Dubai, UAE. In May 2022, Luus played seven matches for the Tornadoes team. She scored 66 against the Barmy Army and hit the winning runs in the final.

Records and achievements

Suné Luus has reached important milestones in her cricket career. Here are some of her key achievements:

• January 2021: Luus took her 100th wicket in South Africa's series against Pakistan. She became the 10th player to score 1,000 runs and take 100 wickets in Women's One Day Internationals (WODIs).
• 31 March 2022: Luus played her 100th WODI match in the semi-final against England.
• February 2022: She was made the captain of the South African team at the Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.
• May 2022: Luus played seven matches for the Tornadoes at the FairBreak Invitational T20 in Dubai, UAE.
• August 2022: She joined the Trinbago Knight Riders as an overseas player for the first edition of the Women's Caribbean Premier League.

Personal life

Suné Luus is a South African cricketer who plays for her national team and has a life outside of cricket filled with family, personal milestones, and interactions with fans.

Family

Suné was born on 5 January 1996 in Cape Town. She grew up in a sports family, with her father, Christo Luus, playing rugby at a high level. Suné also has a brother named Francois Luus.

Finance

As of March 2025, Suné Luus's net worth is $1.06 million.

House

Suné lives in Pretoria, South Africa, as of 2023.

Scandals

After the South African women's team lost the 2023 T20 World Cup final to Australia, Suné spoke highly of the Australian team’s professionalism. She was proud of her own team’s performance. Later that year, after South Africa reached its first-ever major tournament final, Suné expressed hope for future success. She also called for more investment in women’s cricket in the country.

Fans

Suné interacts with fans through social media. In 2020, she communicated with Indian supporters through a celebrity interaction platform. Her Instagram has 108k followers.