Tryon’s return gives SA major confidence boost, says De Klerk

Having fellow middle-order batter Chloe Tryon back in the side is a major boost as the Proteas look to capitalise on their series-opening win against New Zealand on Sunday, all-rounder Nadine De Klerk said.            

Right-arm seamer De Klerk put in a player-of-the-match performance, contributing with bat and ball for the home side as they claimed a four-wicket win over the White Ferns at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom on Sunday.

First, she grabbed two wickets for 34 runs in nine overs to help restrict the visitors to 235/8.

Chasing 236 for victory, interim skipper Laura Wolvaardt led from the front with a 75-ball half-century before a 124-run partnership from 116 balls between De Klerk (58 not out off 77 balls) and Tryon (71 from 58) took them to victory with 17 deliveries to spare.

Tryon returned to the side after missing the Pakistan tour and showed what she brings to the Proteas middle order with a measured knock for an 11th Women’s ODI 50.

“It makes my job so much easier, and she just took all the pressure off of me,” De Klerk said about the innings with Tryon.

“I was going quite slow, so I just tried to keep the innings together. With Chloe going at more than a run a ball without even trying, it took so much pressure off me and that is why I said it was a game-changing innings. The way she played was amazing. Hopefully, the confidence can continue to grow,” De Klerk said.

In a match that ebbed and flowed, with both sides appearing to gain the ascendancy, it took a collective effort from the hosts with bat and ball to ensure they came out on the right side of the result.

“We know it is important to get the wins on the board and collect as many points as we can,” De Klerk said. “We played well for a large part of the day. We started brilliantly with the ball but didn’t get off to the best start with the bat, but it was a great team performance.

“Having them on 55/5 and then seeing them almost reach 250 was not ideal. They played really well and conditions got better as the day went on.

“When we lost our skipper, it was a huge moment in the game, but luckily we have a world-class player like Chloe [Tryon]. We missed her in Pakistan, and she is always a great asset to have within any side,” she said.

De Klerk, who has played 25 ODIs, scoring 342 runs, including her only two half-centuries in her last four matches, said she was pleased with her progression over the past six months.

“It’s always good to contribute [to the team], especially in big games like this where it really matters. “I’m glad I could pull my weight, particularly with the bat.

“I didn’t have the best of starts to my ODI career, so it took the last couple of games to find my feet. Figuring out how to go about business has been special to me, and if it is in a winning cause that makes it so much better,” the 23-year-old said.