Wellington, March 31 (IANS) Sune Luus has hailed South Africa’s up-and-coming players as a promising sign for the future following a nerve-wracking victory over New Zealand Women in the opening ODI of their three-match series, which is a part of the ICC Women’s Championship.

The Proteas, runners-up at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, clinched a dramatic two-wicket win in Christchurch, thanks largely to a fearless knock from 20-year-old Kayla Reyneke. The youngster finished unbeaten on 42 and sealed the contest in style with a last-ball six.

Reflecting on the composure shown by the next generation, Luus expressed admiration for their confidence and maturity under pressure.

“It’s great signs for the future of South African cricket. It’s awesome just to see the players come in and just flourish like that,” Luus said ahead of the second ODI.

“I think when we were younger, I can’t remember being that confident or just coming in and hitting sixes for fun. It’s really awesome to see how the women’s game has grown and how Kayla just took responsibility and earned it,” she added.

South Africa’s victory was also built on a dominant bowling display from Ayabonga Khaka, who produced a career-best performance with six wickets to dismantle the White Ferns’ batting unit.

“She took wickets at crucial times. She’s been a senior bowler for us for a very long time and always takes responsibility and loves a good challenge. I’m very happy for her. It’s a great milestone to get a six-fer. Hopefully, she can just continue picking up all the wickets for the next couple of games,” Luus shared.

During the chase, Luus played a pivotal role with the bat, combining with Annerie Dercksen for a crucial 123-run partnership that steadied the innings and kept South Africa in contention.

“Derckie is an interesting one to bat with. I don’t think she takes it very seriously. It was fun to bat with her. When she’s in, the runs are just flowing. She’s a very powerful hitter of the ball. I think we were cruising when we came in, batting at a run-a-ball together. It was just important for us to stay calm and to have that long partnership, and just to take it as deep as possible.

“Obviously, we know that the longer you bat, the better it gets. If you’re there at the end, you know you have a better chance of winning. I’m glad we could take it deep. Hopefully, tomorrow we can just have someone in the top four stay there at the 40th over and just reach those goals again,” Lulus noted.

With valuable points at stake in the ICC Women’s Championship, Luus underlined the importance of building on the winning start as South Africa aim to secure direct qualification for the 2029 Women’s World Cup.

–IANS

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