Proetas wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne plays a cover drive during his century against Bangladesh. Proetas wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne plays a cover drive during his century against Bangladesh. Picture: Tanvin Tamim / AFP
Kyle Verreynne’s technique has always been a hotly-debated topic since making the step up to international cricket despite him piling on the runs domestically for a number years.
The “MCC coaching manual police” has been on the Proteas wicket-keeper batsman’s case for a while now, highlighting his perceived shortcomings as an international player, despite a healthy First-Class average of 50.74 while playing most of his cricket on South African coastal wickets.
But there is one man who has always backed Verreynne and his ability to score big runs, especially in difficult conditions. One man who has been telling South Africans for years just how good Verreynne is.
Current Proteas batting coach Ashwell Prince mentored Verreynne as a young professional at the Cobras during his stint as head coach. But it wasn’t he who did the talking on Tuesday on day two of the first Test against Bangladesh, it was the red-haired gloveman’s broad bat.
Verreyne scored a magnificent 114 off 144 balls, which helped to take the Proteas from 106/6 to their eventual 308 all out, which got them a crucial 202 first-innings lead.
Verreynne was involved in two key partnerships, sharing a 119-run stand with Wiaan Mulder (54) and a 66-run effort with off-spinner Dane Piedt (32) on a difficult wicket.
While everyone else may be wondering about his technique, Prince says Verreynne’s biggest strength is between his ears.
“His biggest strength is his mentality. This is what I’ve loved about Kyle when he was a young professional at the Cobras when I was the coach,” Prince told SuperSport.
“He believes that whatever the circumstances or the situation, that he is going to win that battle. He has never been bothered about what people say about his technique.
“In his mind, somebody is coming with the ball or a team is coming with a bowling attack and a strategy. But ultimately, he believes he is going to overcome.
“While people are paying a lot of attention to his technique, he finds a way to come up with answers and that is because of his mindset. That’s what stood out for me about the player.”
However, his Test average of 27.65 suggests that he hasn’t quite done the business yet at the highest level. This effort in Dhaka was only his second century in 29 innings, to go with his three fifties.
But at 27 he could be coming into the his prime and hopefully starting to understand his game and find his feet at this level.
The temperament Prince spoke about was definitely on show during his knock against Bangladesh, as he counter-punched nicely against the turning ball in hot and humid conditions.
Take a bow Kyle Verreynne 😍
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) October 22, 2024
He makes his second Test century 👏
📺 Stream #BANvSA on DStv: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw pic.twitter.com/Y6X8MirqcN
His previous century came against New Zealand’s Black Caps in 2022, where he also scored a 136 not out to set up a win for the Proteas. But Tuesday’s knock, he says, was his best since making his Test debut against the West Indies in 2021.
“Our prep was really good and that gave me a lot of confidence going into this game and it paid off," Verreynne said after the day’s play in Dhaka.
“So far in my Test career, it was probably the toughest conditions I've played in, just in terms of the heat and the humidity. Obviously back home, you don't necessarily go through long periods of facing just spin bowling and for probably 90% of that innings, it was just against spin.
"It's where things are happening quickly and you don't have much time to reset, so from a concentration point of view, a physical point of view, it was definitely the most rewarding. So up until now, it's the best one."
Hopefully, for the Proteas and Prince, this is the second of many Test centuries for the wicket-keeper batsman.
@JohnGoliath82
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