South Africa’s Kayla Reyneke, a 20-year-old all-rounder who made her debut against Pakistan last month, won her second Player of the Match Award in four games after her nine-ball 28* helped the Proteas to 177-5 in the second women’s T20I against New Zealand today (March 17).
Who is Kayla Reyneke, the young South Africa all-rounder with a T20I strike rate of 188?
Reyneke impressed on debut at Potchefstroom in February, picking up 2-13 and then scoring 29 not out in 16 balls from No.7 in a successful run chase of 181. Walking out at 147-5, with the team still needing 34 in the last four overs, Reyneke smashed three sixes to take her home and win the Player of the Match award on debut.
The youngster has managed to impress in her next three outings as well: She picked up 1-16 in her second T20I, against Pakistan at Benoni, where she did not bat, to end her maiden series as a star to watch out for. Picked for the T20Is against New Zealand, she has already left a mark: in the first game, at Mount Maunganui, Reyneke struck 24 in 18 balls, even as the run chase of 191 fizzled away around her. But she played a match-winning role in the clash today, at Hamilton.
2nd T20I, New Zealand Women vs South Africa Women
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Batting first, South Africa posted 143-5 in 17.5 overs, when Nadine de Klerk was dismissed. Reyneke walked out with 13 balls left in the innings, and had with her skipper, Laura Wolvaardt, at the other end. However, the well-settled Wolvaardt had a limited role to play, with Reyneke facing nine deliveries, of which two were hit for a boundary, and three went for a six.
She began by scoring two boundaries off her first two balls, against Jess Kerr, before hitting three sixes in a row against Sophie Devine to end with a strike rate of 311, taking her team to 177-5. It proved to be the difference in the end, as South Africa won by 18 runs, with Reyneke winning the Player of the Match award again.
Reyneke has batted in eight T20 innings thus far, and has been unbeaten six times, giving her an average of 66. More importantly, she has struck at 148. She has also picked up 12 wickets with her off-spin, at 18.91 and an economy rate of 5.82.
The right-hander first broke into the scene at the Under-19 Women’s World Cup last year, where she captained South Africa to the final against India. Reyneke picked up 11 wickets, to end as the third-highest wicket-taker, averaging a sensational 6.27, with best figures of 3-2. She, however, had a limited role to play with the bat.
Following her selection in the national team for the Pakistan white-ball squads, Clinton du Preez, the convenor of selectors, shortlisted her as a “talent to watch”: “Kayla Reyneke has always been a talent to watch,” she said in a CSA statement. “She has recently shown clear growth in both her skill set and maturity in her game. This selection is a nod to her consistent progress and allows her to showcase what she can do at an international level.”
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