Robyn Searle aged 16 was the youngest player to be selected for the SA Emerging women’s cricket team when they played against the England Academy side in Potchefstroom. The tour aimed to give both sides experience in playing at an international level.
The squad played six matches against their English counterparts – three ODIs (One Day Internationals) and three Twenty20 games. Robyn played in all six games. She batted in the lower order in the Twenty20 games and either 1st or 3rd in the ODIs. She said that she prefers the ODI format, as she is a steady player and likes to stay at the wicket for as long as possible. She was the top scorer in the ODIs with an average of 40 runs.
Robyn said that it was an amazing experience. When she first started playing cricket, she didn’t know that women’s cricket existed and thought that she would be playing with boys. Robyn was really excited to receive the green and gold clothing and training kit and she said that one of her best experiences was being capped on the field by her team captain before her first game. It was the official confirmation that she was playing for the SA team. Robyn is extremely modest, but there is a good chance after her performance against the English team that she will be selected to play for South Africa in the African Games in Kenya in December. We are behind you all the way Robyn!
