With his Proteas career relatively in its infancy, Kyle Verreynne still has much to offer if his ODI debut series against Australia in March was anything to go by, writes Marc Jacobson.
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His recent naming in the Proteas squad for the incoming English tour came as no surprise but, rather, an element of excitement and anticipation tends to be brewing through the prospect of the 23-year-old’s involvement.
Verreynne was one of the silver linings in the Proteas side that whitewashed the Aussies 3-0 in the aforementioned series after what was a gloomy year for the national outfit.
The Cape Cobras star punched above his weight against a classy opposition and world-class bowling attack and he showed signs of a player maturing with every opportunity he gets.
Still yet to make his debut for the South African Test side or T20I side, Verreynne surprised many with the resilience he displayed during those three 50-over games.
He fitted into the side like a missing puzzle piece and there’s no reason why his completion of that formula shouldn’t be further harnessed ahead of the English onslaught which begins on Friday night.
The former Wynberg Boys’ High scholar gathered 101 runs in those three ODIs in March, including solid scores of 48 in the first match and 50 in the third encounter.
It was the steady manner in which he scored, though, that made him pronounced. He rotated the strike sternly with the Man-of-the-Series Heinrich Klaasen in the first game as well as with the top-scorer JJ Smuts in the third contest, with both outings showing how well he was able to complement the players around him.
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With the right-handed batsman perhaps being given another shot in the white-ball game against the World Champions England, one could only be optimistic about how he’d fair once again.
His composure for such a young prospect and inexperienced international batsman was what struck the eye as a player perhaps destined for a lot more in the future.
Verreynne earned his national call-up at a time when the Proteas were largely experimenting with various players and after having enjoyed a stellar 2019/20 Momentum One Day Cup campaign with the Cobras.
He collected the second-most runs in the competition of 453, including four 50s and one 100 with a highest score of 114 not out.
But, ironically, his career first-class figures for the Cobras and Western Province are more impressive than his adjacent List A stats, which once again shows there’s a lot more to what the youngster can offer.
His average of 51.52 in 42 matches in the red-ball game trumps his median of 35.76 in 36 games in the white-ball format.
And yet, while he has been earning his stripes for the ODI side due to form rather than reputation, there seems to be more in his reserves as a versatile player.
On top of that, Verreynne also serves as a solid wicket-keeper, but unfortunately, he has Klaasen and team captain Quinton de Kock in that department to compete against. That skill-set for national side will have to be put on hold… for now.
One thing is certain, and that is that it’d be worthwhile to witness how the Cape Townian will develop and grow against another world-class opposition over the next week in what surely promises to be a salivating series.
South Africa may be low-spirited after getting thumped in the T20I series, but a different format demands for a different ball game. If anything, the Proteas can learn from the rejuvenation they displayed in March.
Being thrown into the deep end can be detrimental to a sportsman early on in his career, but it can also serve as a boon to greatness. For Verreynne, one should expect the latter to become true.
