Proteas rookie Kayla Reyneke smashed an unbeaten 34 off 20 balls in the third T20I against New Zealand in Auckland.
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The Proteas Women fell to a six-wicket defeat against New Zealand in the third T20I of the five-match series at Eden Park on Friday, despite a late surge that lifted the national women's cricket team to a competitive 149/7.
Skipper Laura Wolvaardt top-scored with 37 after winning the toss and opting to bat first, but the Proteas' innings never fully ignited. Early setbacks in the powerplay saw both Sune Luus and Tazmin Brits dismissed cheaply, placing pressure on the middle order.
The highlight came from rising talent Kayla Reyneke, whose unbeaten 34 off just 20 balls — including two fours and three sixes — injected momentum late in the innings and added respectability to the total.
However, Sophie Devine again proved decisive for the hosts. The experienced all-rounder claimed 2/21 before anchoring the chase with an unbeaten 55, guiding New Zealand to 152/4 in the 19th over.
Left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba was the pick of the Proteas bowlers, returning figures of 1/20 in her three overs at an economy rate of 6.67.
Wolvaardt felt her side had left runs out in the middle. “I thought we were maybe a little short with the bat. Probably didn’t have our best powerplay. We did well to recover to a decent total, and I thought it was one we could defend,” she said.
She admitted Devine’s presence made life difficult for the bowlers. “It’s always going to be hard when you have a player like Soph Devine batting through the innings. She really controlled things and made it tough to shut down boundary options, and a couple of overs here and there cost us.”
Wolvaardt added that her side focused on limiting boundaries during the chase but felt they could have adjusted sooner. “Our wide plan worked quite well at the end. In hindsight, we could have deployed that a little earlier.”
The Proteas captain also reserved special praise for Reyneke, highlighting the youngster’s remarkable striking ability.
“She hasn’t been dismissed yet and is striking at 160 or 180, which is incredibly impressive. The raw power she has at just 20 years old – it’s something players like me work on every day.”
The fourth match in the series takes place in Wellington on Sunday.