Photo Credit: ICC
Amelia Kerr shone with bat and ball as New Zealand beat South Africa by 32 runs to win the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup for the first time.
Kerr top-scored with 43 as the White Ferns posted an imposing 158 for five in Dubai, combining with Brooke Halliday (38) to help her side to the second-highest score in an ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final.
She then took three wickets in reply, including both Laura Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch in a decisive 10th over which turned the game in New Zealand’s favour.
South Africa could not recover and finished comfortably adrift on 126 for nine, ensuring Sophie Devine finished her stint as New Zealand’s T20 skipper with her hands on the trophy.
Having been put in upon losing the toss, New Zealand announced their intent from the outset as Georgia Plimmer struck two boundaries in the opening over of the innings.
She soon fell going for another, lofting Ayabonga Khaka to Sune Luus at long-on, but Kerr and Suzie Bates kept the White Ferns’ momentum going as they reached 43 for one by the end of the powerplay – the highest total conceded by South Africa at the six-over mark across the tournament.
Bates was making history as the most capped women’s cricketer in international history, with the final marking her 334th match for the White Ferns, but her innings ended on 32 as she was bowled by Nonkululeko Mlaba having shuffled across her stumps.
Kerr and Devine carried the score to 70 for two at the halfway stage but Devine departed in the next over, trapped in front by Nadine de Klerk after Wolvaardt successfully reviewed the decision with moments to spare.
That brought Halliday to the crease and she and Kerr went on to add 57 in seven overs in a pivotal partnership.
Halliday struck consecutive boundaries off Sune Luus and looked fluent in her 28-ball 38 before picking out Bosch at deep square leg off the bowling of Chloe Tryon.
Kerr kept up the charge with back-to-back boundaries of her own at the start of the 18th over, only to follow her partner by being caught in the deep, but Maddy Green ensured there were still fireworks to come.
Green blasted the penultimate ball of the innings for six before being dropped by Luus from the final delivery as New Zealand set the Proteas 159 to win, with 48 coming from the final five overs.
South Africa needed a strong start to give them a chance and in-form opening pair Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits provided it.
The two highest run-scorers in the competition combined to take their side to 47 without loss at the end of the powerplay but the breakthrough came in the next over as Brits holed out to long-on off the bowling of Fran Jonas.
Kerr, the competition’s leading wicket-taker, then took centre stage. Despite limping due to the effects of cramp, her second over began with the vital wicket of Wolvaardt, caught by Bates at cover for 33, and ended with Bosch caught behind on review.
Another quickfire double breakthrough then all but decided the outcome as New Zealand turned the screw.
Marizanne Kapp picked out Plimmer at deep square leg off Eden Carson from the final ball of the 12th over and the 13th started with de Klerk swiping Rosemary Mair to Kerr at backward point.
Kerr returned to dismiss Annerie Dercksen, taking her tournament tally to 15, and Mair picked up two wickets in the penultimate over to finish with three for 25.
It was left to Carson to bowl the final over and conclude a historic weekend for cricket in New Zealand, with the men’s team securing a first Test win in India for 36 years earlier in the day.
Scores in brief
New Zealand v South Africa – Dubai International Stadium, United Arab Emirates
New Zealand 158/5 in 20 overs (Amelia Kerr 43, Brooke Halliday 38; Nonkululeko Mlaba 2/31, Nadine de Klerk 1/17)
South Africa 126/9 in 20 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 33, Tazmin Brits 17; Amelia Kerr 3/24, Rosemary Mair 3/25)
Result: New Zealand win by 32 runs
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Name of Author: ICC
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the global governing body for cricket, founded in 1909 as the Imperial Cricket Conference. Renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, it became the ICC in 1987. Headquartered in Dubai, UAE, the ICC has 108 member nations.
