‘We were a lot of runs short,’ admits Reyneke after U19 World Cup final loss

South Africa’s U19 women’s team cricket captain Kayla Reyneke conceded her team didn’t pitch up with the bat in their ICC T20 World Cup final against India, played in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

After posting just 82 in their 20 overs, India raced to the target with just one wicket down and 52 balls remaining to win the final by a whopping nine wickets.

Both South Africa and India reached the final without suffering a defeat; the Junior women’s Proteas team downing Australia in the semi-finals while India got the better of England in their last-four match on Friday.

Batting woes

“We didn’t show up today with the bat, that’s the truth,” said Reyneke after the match.

“We’ll regroup, see where we could have done better. We were a lot of runs short, it was not our day, we’ll take it.”

Jemma Botha, at the top of the order, scored 10 runs in the first over and was eventually out for 16 off 10 balls. The wickets then tumbled after that, with only Karabo Meso (10), Mieke van Voorst (23) and Fay Cowling (15) getting into double figures.

Asked if her team was over-reliant on the top four batters, Reyneke said: “I wouldn’t say we rely on the top four, batters will come off if they come off.

Inspiring young girls

“I always back my whole batting and bowling units. We’re a well-balanced unit. We don’t feel like we have to rely on only some individuals.

“I’m thankful for everything, from my team-mates to the management.

“There were a lot of positives (at the tournament). We had a good run, and I’m so proud of these girls, what we’ve done, not only here, but also for the young girls back home, I think we’ve inspired a nation. We showed what we can do on the big stage.”

Reyneke thanked the fans for all their support. “We couldn’t have asked for better. We’re not going to dwell on could’ve and should’ve … and we’re not coming home with the trophy but we’ve inspired young girls, showed we can actually do it.

“We often say that women are powerful, and we’ve just shown that.”