Verreynne hopes to kick on after a rough patch early in his Test career

Kyle Verreynne has had a testing start to his Test career and hopes his maiden century against New Zealand at the end of day four of the second and final match in Christchurch is the end of an early rough patch and beginning of good things to come.

The 24-year-old wicketkeeper-batter started the Monday's day four on 22 not out, with Wiaan Mulder on 10 at the other end and SA on 140/5 in their second innings with an intimidating lead of 211 runs at Hagley Oval.

Verreynne put on two partnerships of 78 runs, first with Mulder and later with Kagiso Rabada, to disorientate the New Zealand attack as the lead grew bigger.

By the time he was finished with the Kiwis, he carried his bat on 136 not out with SA having set a victory target of 426 runs.

Verreynne spoke about his challenges in his fledgling Test career after his knock.

“I will be honest and say it has been challenging mentally. Test cricket is the toughest format of the game," he said.

“I think in my first couple of series, starting in the West Indies, there were challenging wickets and then against India, probably the toughest pitches I have played on.”

Verreynne was involved in five partnerships that swung the match in SA's favour, including one worth 78 runs from 63 deliveries with Kagiso Rabada.

When captain Dean Elgar declared with the Proteas on 354, Verreynne was unbeaten on 136 as New Zealand were set an intimidating victory target of 425 runs to win the match.

Thanks to Verreynne’s knock SA hold all the aces going into the final day.

His maiden unbeaten hundred pulled the Proteas to within six wickets of a series-levelling victory after New Zealand’s difficult start to their chase in pursuit of 425 runs.

The Black Caps closed the day on the back foot on 94/4 in their second innings with SA-born Devon Conway 60 not out and Tom Blundell on 1 at the other end.

After his scores of 6, 27 and 6 in foreign conditions in his debut series in a two-match Test series in the West Indies in June last year, Verreynne struggled in home conditions in the four innings he had against India. He scred 21 and 0 as the realities and demands of international competition hit home.

Pressure was starting to mount after he offered 18 and 30 in the first Test against New Zealand, which SA lost by an embarrassing innings and 276 runs in two and half days. But the former Wynberg Boys High pupil responded in emphatic style with 4 and 136 not out in the second Test.

Scoring a hundred in your sixth Test match is commendable by any international standard, but Verreynne started to doubt himself after the first five.

“I think the first Test here was tough to bat in. Mentally you start to have a lot of doubts about yourself.

“You read a lot of stuff that people are writing technically and there were a lot of questions being asked of myself.

“It was challenging, but I think the important thing for me was to keep that self-belief and back what I have done in the past and keep backing my preparation.”

Verreynne said he worked on his technique before travelling to New Zealand.

“Going into this game I thought I was in a really good space technically and it was just about making sure I got my mindset right.

“Fortunately, today [Monday] it went according to plan, but I think the tough period I had at the start of my Test career has been important just to go through that phase and hopefully I am out of it now.”

Though he was struggling, Verreynne said he never felt he was playing for his place in the team. “No, I did not feel like I was batting for my place at all, to be honest.”

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