An impressive performance by Amelia Kerr guided New Zealand to their first-ever Women’s T20 World Cup title after beating South Africa by 32 runs in the final in Dubai.
With a commanding 158-5 in their 20 overs, led by Player of the Match Kerr (43), New Zealand held South Africa to 126-9 in their 20 overs after capturing 3-24 and taking critical wickets of Laura Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch.
Sophie Devine, the captain, had a lovely career finale.
Fourteen years had passed since the White Ferns’ narrow defeat to Australia by three runs in the 2010 final. In the 2009 championship game, they were defeated by England as well.
South Africa was doubly disappointed, having lost to Australia in the Cape Town final the previous year.
The New Zealand openers got off to a fast start after being put in to bat by South Africa skipper Wolvaardt. Georgia Plimmer hit two fours off Marizanne Kapp in the opening over.
Although Plimmer was dismissed for nine, Suzie Bates, who was playing in her 334th international match, managed to keep the scoreboard moving until Nonkululeko Mlaba bowled her for 32 off 31 balls.
The batting looked to be struggling when Devine was leg before to Nadine de Klerk on review, but Brooke Halliday’s entrance quickened the pace as she added 57 in seven overs with Kerr for the fourth wicket.
After picking out Bosch on the midwicket boundary, Halliday was removed despite hitting three boundaries in her 38.
Kerr found Tazmin Brits to fall for 43 from 38 balls after hammering consecutive boundaries off Mlaba.
But with 12 off six balls, including the innings’ lone six, Maddy Green kept the momentum going.
South Africa got off to a fast start thanks to Wolvaardt (33) and Brits (17), who reached the 50-run mark in the seventh over. The Brits then tried to knock Fran Jonas over long-on, but Green was waiting in the safe.
Wolvaardt expressed her annoyance at Bosch’s lack of enthusiasm by hitting the opening ball of Kerr’s second over to Bates at wide mid-off.
South Africa had fallen to 64-3 and New Zealand were in control when a review determined that Bosch had edged the final ball of the over to Isabella Gaze.
With wickets falling often, South Africa’s middle and lower order, who had hardly batted in this tournament, found it difficult to get going as the needed run rate increased.
After Kerr removed Nadine de Klerk with a catch, Bates—possibly the tournament’s best fielder—took her third catch of the innings to dismiss Annerie Dercksen, giving Kerr a third wicket. She took a tournament-high 15 wickets in the end.
New Zealand was able to celebrate their first title despite the last couple holding out for the last over.
