Nadine de Klerk and Chole Tyron’s 124-run sixth-wicket partnership helped South Africa stage a come-from-behind win in the first ODI against New Zealand in Potchefstroom.
Tryon joined de Klerk with South Africa struggling at 111 for 5 in the 28th over of the 236 chase. Captain Laura Wolvaardt had just been knocked over by Hannah Rowe for 50. The duo took their time to consolidate and, in the 34th over, the asking rate went above six runs an over for the first time in the innings. That was when Tryon smacked three fours off Sophie Devine to bring it down to 5.6 an over.
Five overs of ticking along later, de Klerk took Eden Carson down, hitting three fours in a 17-run over to begin the final powerplay. It took the required rate down from 5.8 to 4.55 an over.
De Klerk and Tryon brought up their respective fifties off consecutive balls in the 44th over and then continued to rotate the strike and find the gaps. Tryon fell to Devine for 71 off 58 balls in the 47th over with the scores level and de Klerk hit the winning runs in the next over to finish on 58 not out off 77 balls.
After being put in, New Zealand got off to a slow start and were left five down for 55 in 19.4 overs. Hannah Rowe and Brooke Halliday’s 117-run partnership for the fifth wicket then resurrected their innings.
Rowe and Halliday rebuilt the innings gradually and then accelerated, also getting the run rate up in the process. Halliday brought up her fifty off 70 balls in the 39th over, which Rowe got to hers in the 41st over off 67 balls.
Rowe fell in the 43rd over to Masabata Klass – who finished with 3 for 60 – and Halliday in the 48th to de Klerk – who picked up 2 for 34 – but Lea Tahuhu and Jess Kerr pushed the total to 235 by adding a total of 45 runs off 31 balls.
Brief scores:
South Africa 236 for 6 (Chole Tryon 71, Nadine de Klerk 58*, Lura Wolvaardt 50; Jess Kerr 2-47, Hannah Rowe 2-26) beat New Zealand 235 for 8 (Brooke Halliday 76, Hannah Rowe 52, Masabata Klaas 3-60, Nadine de Klerk 2-34) by four wickets