Eastern Storm’s Rudolph inspired by Proteas’ Tryon

When all-rounder Chloe Tryon walked to the crease in the 16th over after the dismissal of Momentum Proteas Captain Laura Wolvaardt in the fourth T20I against New Zealand on October 14 at Willowmoore Park, she was greeted by huge applause from the crowd with chants of ‘Tryon’ echoing across the venue.

Clutching her bat while acknowledging the faithful across the field, she strolled towards Sunè Luus and after a brief chat, she settled at the Chalet end, ready to face her first ball.

The big-hitting righthander raced to a quick-fire 22 from 10 balls, scoring two boundaries and a maximum, as she and Luus added 50 off 22 balls for the fourth wicket, taking South Africa to 172-4.

While Tryon and Luus’ efforts created a buzz in the stands, the Eastern Storm ladies’ all-rounder Alysia Rudolph watched in awe under the shade adjacent to the players’ hut, as her idol had a brilliant spell with the bat.

“My favourite player is Chloe Tryon. I am a player that likes to go big, with all guns blazing. I am also an off-spinner. She is my role model,” said Rudolph.

She said Tryon’s steady rise to the top motivated her, especially early in her career when she struggled to score runs.

Tryon started her career as a bowler, but in the last decade since her international debut in 2010, her batting has improved massively and is currently one of the mainstays in the Proteas side.

“She helped me improve my batting. I could not get runs and struggled to score boundaries. I watched some of her matches and saw how she played, her shot selection and how she played them. After that, I went to the nets and started working on my batting.”

Rudolph is itching to get her opportunity to wear the green and gold. But acknowledged to reach the top echelons of the game, she has to put in the work for her province.

The off-spinner began the season with an all-round performance last week against North West Dragons, scoring 30 runs and grabbing 2-13.

“It is hard work. I need to start scoring more runs to get selected but it starts from the bottom – from the SA emerging side to the senior team. I am excited about that and hopefully, in the next two years, will get my call-up,” she said.

She was named the national T20 women’s club player of the year by CSA in July. This was after her exploits for Avion Park in the T20 women’s national championships, where she was the bowler and player of the tournament.

The stars seem to be aligning for the Rynfield resident, but to rub shoulders with her hero, Tryon, the runs have to flow and wickets tumble consistently.

“I hope to get a call-up to the national team in the next two years. My teammates and I have to push to gain promotion to the top six. Other than that, it is about performing well. That is the key part. I’ll keep working hard and scoring runs.”

Also Read: Not out! BHS cricketers claim league win

Also Read: Proteas dig deep to level series