New Zealand produced a superb display to beat South Africa in Dubai and win the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.
Having been asked to bat first, New Zealand got off to a decent start through the veteran opener Suzie Bates (32), who became the most capped player in the history of Women’s Internationals with her appearance in the game.
And, despite wickets falling, the Kiwis built well through the middle overs, as Kerr (43) played an anchoring role alongside the explosive Brooke Halliday (38).
A late cameo from Maddy Green (12 from 6) lifted the total to 158/5, leaving South Africa with a stern test.
A fast start from South Africa’s openers gave the Proteas hope that it would be they who would win their first title, but a flurry of wickets saw the game slip away.
A dramatic double-wicket over from Kerr saw Laura Wolvaardt (33) and Anneke Bosch (9) depart in quick succession, leaving South Africa needing something special from their middle order.
But wickets kept on tumbling, with Rosemary Mair in the thick of the action with her 3/25, as the run rate went from high to unattainable.
And the result had long been determined before Eden Carson sent down the final ball of the tournament, as South Africa finished on 126/9, still 32 runs short.
How New Zealand’s bowlers sealed the title
The Proteas made a superb start to their second-innings chase of 159, with captain Wolvaardt leading the way in the powerplay alongside fellow opener Tazmin Brits.
By the end of the first six overs the score had reached 47/0, with Wolvaardt finding the boundary in trademark fashion.
But, after Brits had departed for 17 (18), Kerr turned the game on its head, picking up the big wicket of Wolvaardt (33 from 27) before bagging South Africa’s semi-final hero Anneke Bosch in the same over.
After 11 overs the score was 70/3, with the Proteas needing something special in the second half of their chase.
Hope of a dramatic finish dwindled when Marizanne Kapp and Nadine de Klerk fell to consecutive balls.
Kapp (8) was caught trying to sweep Carson, with De Klerk (6) departing to the first ball of the next over, looping a catch to Kerr off Mair.
The run-rate became near impossible as the game neared its end, with Mair ensuring that it was a victory procession for New Zealand in the final few overs.
The 25-year-old added the scalps of Chloe Tryon (14) and Sinalo Jafto (6) to finish with 3/25. And it was left to Carson to bowl the final over, before the White Ferns celebrations could truly begin.
The story of the first innings
South Africa captain Wolvaardt won the toss and decided to bowl first against New Zealand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Both teams were unchanged, while White Ferns captain Sophie Devine said she was happy with the toss outcome and would have batted first in any case.
And her top order showed why, getting the Kiwis off to a decent start in the powerplay.
Georgia Plimmer’s attacking start came to an abrupt end when Sune Luus held on to a catch off Ayabonga Khaka’s bowling to send the young opener back for 9 (from 7 balls).
But Bates and Kerr fired the total to 43/1 after six overs, setting a solid platform.
Bates’ brilliant knock of 32 from 31 balls was ended by South Africa’s go-to wicket-taker, with Nonkululeko Mlaba at it again, cleaning up the veteran.
And Devine was trapped lbw by Nadine de Klerk – a decision that the Proteas opted to review, to great success.
But with Kerr and the in-form Halliday out in the middle with the score at 79/3 with eight overs remaining, a competitive score remains very much in reach.
Excellent running and rotation of the strike was the key to the pair’s 57-run partnership, with Halliday hitting just three fours in her 38 from just 28 balls, scoring at a rate that boosted her team towards a strong total.
Halliday’s wicket, falling to the tidy Chloe Tryon (1/22), saw Kerr hit the attacking switch, hitting back-to-back fours off Mlaba.
But Mlaba denied Kerr (43 from 38) a half-century and a chance to hit out in the final over, tempting her into an over-reached swipe, with Brits taking the catch.
New Zealand reached 158/5 with a 16-run final over, as Isabella Gaze (3* from 3) and Green (12* from 6) ran hard, with the solitary boundary of Khaka’s final over being a huge six over deep midwicket.
In all, the White Ferns added 48 runs in the final five overs of their innings, leaving South Africa requiring their second-highest total of the tournament to win the final – a target that was ultimately out of their reach.
SOURCED FROM THE T20 WOMEN’S CRICKET WEBSITE.
