“I’ve worked my whole life to play Test cricket,” said Proteas wicket-keeper-batter, Kyle Verreynne, after he scored an unbeaten 136 to take South Africa to 354/9 and set New Zealand 426 runs to win the second Test. 

South Africa were in a precarious position at the beginning of Day 4, with five wickets down and leading by 211 runs. Verreynne and Wiaan Mulder stitched a crucial 78-run partnership, followed by an aggressive 78-run partnership with Kagiso Rabada. Rabada’s contribution to the partnership was vital, as he scored 47 off 34 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes. 

After two challenging Test series against the West Indies and India, where Verreynne missed out on demonstrating his potential, he came good at an important time for South Africa. “It’s been quite challenging mentally,” conceded Verreynne. He continued,” Mentally, you have a lot of doubts about yourself. Going into this game, I felt like I was in a good space technically.” 

Explaining his mindset going into Day 4, Verreynne said, “Last night was quite a tricky period for myself and Wiaan. This morning, the plan was to bat 30 minutes and then look to show good intent.” Verreynne heaped praise on Rabada’s contribution with the bat, “The way he played was one of the big factors in the energy we took into our bowling.” 

Verreynne was named South Africa’s first-choice wicket-keeper-batter after Quinton de Kock announced his retirement. “In the team environment, the coaches and senior players, I’ve never been made to feel like I’m Quinny’s replacement. From the next day, they’ve given me the support that it’s my spot.” 

Verreynne also credited Ashwell Prince’s guidance and mentorship for the batter that he has grown into. “My whole franchise career has been with Ashwell Prince. He had a massive impact on the way I bat. I give a lot of credit to him.”