NZ-W vs SA-W, 1st ODI: Ayabonga Khaka's career-best spell and Reyneke's last-ball six helps Proteas draw first blood

A career-best spell (6/56) by Ayabonga Khaka, backed up by a last-ball six from Kayla Reyneke, helped South Africa draw first blood in the ongoing three-match ODI series as they beat hosts New Zealand by two wickets at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

After a disappointing start to the tour, which began with a 4-1 defeat in the T20I series, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt won the toss in the first ODI and elected to field first on Sunday.

The opening pair of Suzie Bates (20 off 36) and Georgia Plimmer (28 off 31 balls) stitched a 42-run stand to get the hosts off to a sedate start in nine overs before Tumi Sekhukhune broke the stand by dismissing Bates. Plimmer and skipper Amelia Klerk (36 off 60) also failed to make the most out of their starts and got out after getting their eyes in.

Chloe Tryon dismissed Brooke Halliday on the final ball of the 28th over to reduce the hosts to 112/4, but Maddy Green and Isabella Gaze scripted a terrific rescue attempt to lift them out of the abyss.

Green largely held one end together and added 70 runs for the fifth wicket alongside wicketkeeper batter Gaze to put the pressure back on the visitors. Green struck nine boundaries and kept the scoreboard ticking along during her 83-ball 85, which came at a strike rate of 102.40.

It was Tryon again who got rid of Gaze and snapped the partnership. Khaka got the big wicket of Green as she pinned her in front of the stumps. Jess Kerr struck a few lusty blows at the end while Khaka mopped the tail, as New Zealand posted 268.

In reply, South Africa lost both their openers inside the first six overs and were 30/2. But just when the White Ferns thought they had the game by the scruff of its neck, Annerie Dercksen (72 off 93) and Sune Luus (53 off 72) added 123 runs for the third wicket to put South Africa in front.

However, the game swung again as Bates and the White Ferns captain dismissed Dercksen and Luus to wrestle back momentum. The hosts then dismissed Tryon and Sinalo Jafta in quick succession to stand on top of the game.

South Africa seemed dead and buried when the tourists lost Nadine de Klerk on the second ball of the 46th over, with just three wickets left and 31 more needed off 22 balls.

But Reyneke played the most clutch knock of her career to take South Africa home. Reyneke showed nerves of steel and pummeled the third and the last ball of the final over off Bates for two sixes to become the first batter across gender to hit a six off the last ball to win a match on both T20I and ODI debut.

Top run-scorer of the match

Top wicket-taker of the match

Player of the Match

Kayla Reyneke

Reyeneke played the most outrageous innings a batter can ever dream of on debut. She kept immense composure despite running out of partners and didn't fluster even when the required rate threatened to go out of control. She backed her power-hitting and displayed exceptional forbearance to pull off a heist.

Turning point

New Zealand needed to keep Reyneke away from the strike to get over the line. But weren't able to do so at the fag end of the game, and that's what cost them the game. The hosts had a much better chance of closing it out had they bowled majorly to the South African tail.

Winning Team Captain, Laura Wolvaardt (SA-W)

"[Thoughts on that run chase] I think we were cruising for most of it. That partnership between Anneke and Suné was excellent; they looked so at ease and we were staying with the rate quite comfortably. Obviously, losing them both in quick succession put us under a bit of pressure, but we were able to hold on in the end. [Khaka] What makes her special is her ability to bowl in every single phase. She was excellent in the powerplay, got a bit of swing, and got us off to a really nice start. Then she's able to bowl in the middle and at the death as well. I thought she used her death plans quite well to pick up those wickets at the end. [Reyneke and de Klerk's ability to finish games] I don't know, but it's really nice to have two players like that who wear their heart on their sleeve. They are really fiery characters, and you see that competitive nature come out on the field. Those are the people you want in your dugout because you know they'll give everything for the team. [Next game approach and lessons learned] It's big. There are a lot of positives to take out of this. I really enjoyed the way we bowled in that middle phase; we kept them at bay for a long period there. It's nice to start with a win, though we'll still have some reflections and learnings. I think we executed a lot better with the ball today. That was probably the one area we were lacking in the T20s; having one or two balls every over that didn't quite go according to plan. That was a lot better today. We also worked on those partnerships, and having a couple of decent ones today was a big improvement."

Losing Team Captain, Amelia Kerr (NZ-W)

"[There were ebbs and flows] Yeah, I think firstly, it's trying to get wickets early. Getting Brits in the first over helps, but I thought we bowled some really good balls and then missed a little bit. They got off to a bit of a flyer, but I thought we did really well to pull it back and take it deep to the last over. Through that middle period, Suzie was outstanding. Unfortunately, we were on the wrong side tonight. [Keeping your last over] I don't necessarily see the point of a one-over spell in 50-over cricket at that stage, but I was hot at that moment with Chloe and Nadine in. I thought if we could get one more wicket, we'd be right in the game and I'd back the rest of our bowlers to do the job after my spell. [Batting performance] Maddy batted beautifully and held the innings together for us. Obviously, when Brooke and I got out bang-bang, Izzy Gaze came in and they had a great partnership. It's pleasing to see everyone stepping up even when put under pressure. However, if Maddy and I had built that partnership a little more, we probably would have had the chance to put up 280 or 300. [Key takeaways] We were great in patches. There were a few dropped catches tonight, which no one means to do, it's part of the game, but we pride ourselves on our fielding and energy, so that is something we can improve on. [Learning as a young captain] A lot of learning. I love tactically thinking about the game, but I'm sure I'll look back and wish I did a couple of things differently, too."