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.
“I was just prepping for the second half of the season at Western Province, and we were at our performance camp with the SA coaches when, obviously, things took a turn. I was selected for the Pakistan series, and then the coaches probably saw something in me. I just kept going with them, and I’m super grateful for the opportunities.”
The jury remains undecided on whether Reyneke is an off-spinner who hits the ball a long way, or a batter who is able to deliver a handy few overs. She is hoping that, by the end of next season, she will have developed into a fully-fledged, genuine all-rounder.
“I would like to see myself as an all-rounder, not just a specific one,” she said. “I don’t want to claim to be better at batting or bowling.
“Power-hitting is a bonus — it’s kind of like a reward at the end of your session. If you had a really good session and you were disciplined enough, you can have a power-hitting session. I just want to be a proper all-rounder.”
The former junior provincial javelin champion — a sporting background she shares with Proteas teammate Tazmin Brits — believes that sharing a dressing room with legendary figures will only accelerate her development during this fledgling stage of her career.
Being in a squad blessed with the experience of captain Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, Dané van Niekerk, and Shabnim Ismail is an opportunity she doesn’t take for granted.
“It is a really cool opportunity for youngsters to come into this space and share a dressing room with them, especially with the experience that they carry,” Reyneke noted.
“Not only from playing in South Africa, but from playing in leagues all over the world — just the sheer knowledge they have. Obviously, you want to learn as much as possible from them.
“You take on board what’s going to work for you and what they’ve learned throughout the years. It was super cool to be able to share a dressing room with them, especially during my first World Cup.”
The 2026 CSA Awards is set to be a glittering affair, held at the Sandton Convention Centre on Thursday evening.
