Proteas Women's all-rounder Kayla Reyneke has enjoyed a dream debut international season.
Kayla Reyneke often has to pinch herself to believe that her meteoric rise to international cricket is not a dream.
Reyneke, 20, went from the relative obscurity of domestic cricket for Western Province to becoming an integral member of the Proteas within the space of just six months. The former South Africa Under-19 captain was always destined for higher honours, but the way she has embraced crunch moments on the biggest stage has truly set her apart from her peers.
Remarkably, Reyneke is the only cricketer in the world to have struck the winning runs off the final delivery on both her T20I and ODI debuts. It is performances like these that have seen her nominated for both International Women’s Newcomer of the Year and Women’s T20 International Player of the Year after her very first international season.
"I mean, you obviously dream about all this stuff, but now you're actually doing it. It's like two different things," Reyneke told Independent Media in an exclusive interview.
