Verreynne: How it felt to hit winning runs and end South Africa's trophy drought
Media release
Kyle Verreynne revealed his emotions almost got the better of him before he hit the winning runs to end South Africa’s wait for a global trophy.
The 28-year-old drove Mitchell Starc through cover to seal a five-wicket victory for the Proteas over Australia at Lord’s as his side won their first major ICC silverware for 27 years.
Two balls before, Verreynne attempted to scoop Starc and win the game in style but replays showed he got away with a let-off, as the ball nicked his glove on the way through to Alex Carey.
Australia had no reviews left by that stage, meaning the wicketkeeper-batter was able to be the man in the middle when the game was won.
Asked about his shot selection against Starc, he said: “Honestly, I have no answer, I don’t know what happened.
“We needed one run with five wickets in hand so I kind of knew the job was done. There was a rush of emotions, they got the better of me, but thankfully we got it done in the end.”
Verreynne saw the job through with David Bedingham, who he described as his ‘best mate in cricket’, making the triumph all the sweeter.
The pair came together following the morning departures of Temba Bavuma, Tristan Stubbs and Aiden Markram, the Player of the Match falling for 136 with six runs needed.
Verreynne joked that he and Bedingham had been hoping to watch their side’s victory from the comfort of their balcony in Lord’s pavilion but was delighted to share an iconic moment with a close friend.
“We were sitting at dinner last night with a couple of beers and both David and I looked across the table and said, ‘I hope we don't end up batting tomorrow!” he said.
“When we were out there hitting the winning runs, that was quite a cool moment and made it really special.
“David and I have had a long journey, slightly different paths, but we have gone through our professional career together and batted at school together.
“To be on this stage and get the job done with my best friend in cricket is really, really special.”
South Africa required 69 runs to win on day four and Verreynne, who tuned up for the Final by representing Nottinghamshire in the County Championship, revealed his teammates were confident about it would be them lifting the ICC Test Championship Mace come the end of the game.
“I was very nervous, but not from the point of view of getting the job done,” Verreynne continued.
“Coming here this morning, everyone had that nervousness that comes with excitement.
“We all knew we were probably going to get the job done, especially the way we’ve been playing over the last couple of years.
“How we are as a group, there were no doubt we were going to get across the line. We had that nervous energy and now we can celebrate. There was a lot of nerves, but they were good nerves.”
Verreynne also recognised what their achievement would mean to fans back in South Africa, many of whom would have seen them as underdogs at the beginning of the 2023-25 cycle.
“I don't think anyone would have expected, two years ago when the cycle started, for us to be in this position,” he added.
“But for us as a team, it's really incredible. Then you think about what it means to people in our country, for them, it’s really special too.”
ENDS