Reyneke shines as South Africa whitewashes Ireland
Kayla Reyneke produced an outstanding all-round performance as South Africa Women u19 won the final two matches of their Youth T20I five-match series at the Tuks Oval in Pretoria on Friday to subject Ireland Women u19 to a 5-0 whitewash.
Reyneke scored an outstanding half-century to help South Africa to 168/6 in their 20 overs after they were asked to bat first in the morning encounter.
During the Ireland chase, the South African captain was, also, among the wickets as the hosts restricted the visitors to 131/4 to win by 37 runs.
In the second match, South Africa bowled first and restricted Ireland to just 104/9. The hosts then proceeded in fits and starts until they reached 105/9 in 14.4 overs to scrape a one-wicket win.
Reyneke was awarded the Player of the Series accolade after finishing as the leading run-scorer with 138 runs from five innings, which she supplemented with seven wickets.
The former HS Bellville learner arrived at the crease in the third over, and by then, South Africa was in trouble on 4/2, having lost their openers for ducks. Reyneke proceeded to play a proper captain’s innings, recording a career-best 42-ball 73 that featured two fours and eight sixes. The Ireland batting lineup struck none.
She shared an 83-run third-wicket partnership with Simoné Lourens, who made 32, to take the game away from the visitors. Reyneke and Karabo Meso then combined for a 25-run fourth-wicket stand. Following Reyneke’s departure, Meso, who scored the first half-century of the series, took control of the match and steered South Africa to 168 for six, finishing with an unbeaten 36 off 20.
Amy Hunter took charge of Ireland’s run chase. The Irish captain lost her opening partner, Lucy Neely early in the innings, but she stayed focused, scoring a fighting half-century, 73 off 52 balls before she was run out. However, that effort was in vain. South Africa’s 168 proved to be more than enough as the visitors were kept to 131/4.
Kayla Reyneke, Fay Cowling, and Monalisa Legodi were South Africa’s wicket-takers, with each bagging a single wicket. Cowling produced the best figures, returning 1/23 from her four overs. With the victory, South Africa moved 4-0 clear in the series.
The afternoon clash was a low-scoring thriller. Nthabiseng Nini spearheaded an on-fire South African bowling attack that did not give much away. Only three Ireland batters reached double figures – Freya Sargent (21), Lara McBride (33), and Alice Walsh (10). However, none bettered a strike rate of 100.
Nini was outstanding in her four overs, capturing two wickets for 12 runs. Reyneke was equally miserly, knocking over two wickets for 11 runs in three overs. Fay Cowling and Ashleigh van Wyk weighed in with a wicket each.
The hosts would have been expected to chase down Ireland’s total at a canter, given how they had batted throughout the series. However, that was not to be.
Besides Simoné Lourens, with 29, and Diara Ramlakan, with 21, and their 38-run second-wicket stand, the home side struggled to build meaningful partnerships. They lost wickets with alarming regularity and had to rely on their tailenders, Ashleigh van Wyk (7*) and Nthabiseng Nini (9*), to see them home.
The pair valiantly held on, sharing an unbroken 17-run 10th-wicket partnership to snatch victory for South Africa to complete the whitewash.
Aimee Maguire was the pick of the bowlers for Ireland, snapping up four wickets for 17 runs in four overs. She was well-supported by Freya Sargent and Lucy Neely, who both sent two batters packing.
Summarised Scorecards
South Africa Women u19 168/6 (Kayla Reyneke 73, Karabo Meso 36; Aimee Maguire 2/31, Alice Tector 1/12); Ireland Women u19 131/4 (Amy Hunter 73, Annabel Squires 19*; Kayla Reyneke 1/18, Fay Cowling 1/23). South Africa won by 37 runs.
Ireland Women u19 104/9 (Lara McBride 33, Freya Sargent 21; Nthabiseng Nini 2/12, Kayla Reyneke 2/11); South Africa Women u19 105/9 (Simoné Lourens 29, Diara Ramlakan 21; Aimee Maguire 4/17, Freya Sargent 2/29). South Africa won by one wicket.
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