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Kayla Reyneke could not have asked for a better debut for the Proteas Women, as she played a massive role with both bat and ball in a 5-wicket win in the first T20 International against Pakistan in Potchefstroom last night.
The 20-year-old had the perfect start as she got a wicket in her very first over at senior level, clean bowling Gull Feroza for 13 runs at JB Marks Oval before finishing with 2/13 at an economy rate of 3.25.
She then later showed muscle with the bat, scoring the winning runs to finish on 29 not out.
Visibly emotional during the national anthem, Reyneke says it was a debut from her wildest dreams.
"That was the dream debut to be honest. I couldn't have asked for a better debut for my country. It was special making my first appearance in South Africa, especially in Potch because I started my SA U/19 journey here so it's honestly quite difficult to put this experience into words," said the debutant.
Reyneke was incorrectly given out for lbw earlier in her innings and would have walked had it not been for the intervention of Annerie Dercksen, who quickly advised her to send it for review.
She admitted that she had forgotten that she had that option at senior international level and was grateful for her more experienced partner.
"I'm not used to this, but credit to Annerie Dercksen she said I need to mention her. I wanted to walk, and luckily she just said to me to send it upstairs."
With South Africa chasing the third highest total in women’s T20 Internationals (180 Runs), Reyneke held composure that belied her age as they went into the last over still needing 10 runs and hit a six on the last delivery when they needed two for the win.
She explained that while she did feel a bit of pressure, the experience of Under-19 cricket came to the fore when needed most.
"Playing on the U19 World Cup stage really helped a lot. I'm not used to so much pressure, but the U19 World Cup is a small taste of how international cricket really can be. I felt the pressure but it's all about what you make of it in the moment."
While the early evidence suggests that a new star is born in South Africa’s women’s international cricket, Reyneke is careful not to get ahead of herself. She also says she’s not thinking as far as the T20 World Cup later this year just yet.
