Image Source : Depositphotos
Amelia Kerr secures New Zealand's inaugural T20 World Cup triumph
Amelia Kerr secures New Zealand's inaugural T20 World Cup triumph
Amelia Kerr smashed 43 and then returned to pick three wickets .
In a fantastic week for New Zealand cricket, the women's team claimed their first-ever T20 World Cup title in Dubai. This victory showed that their poor form before the tournament—just one win in 13 T20 matches—didn't matter.
New Zealand's win was built on strong batting at the beginning and end of their innings. Their bowlers then got rid of South Africa's star player, Laura Wolvaardt, early on, and applied pressure in the middle overs, making it hard for South Africa to recover. Amelia Kerr shone with both the bat and ball, leaving South Africa as the runners-up for the second T20 World Cup in a row. South Africa could only manage 126/9 in their 20 overs, falling short of New Zealand's 159/5.
New Zealand were happy to bat first, and it showed as Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer started strong. However, Ayabonga Khaka adjusted her bowling well, getting Plimmer caught by Sune Luus at long-on in just the second over. Marizanne Kapp also bowled cleverly, making it tough for the batters to hit straight. But Amelia Kerr joined Bates to keep the runs coming. Laura Wolvaardt brought herself on for two overs of left-arm spin in the PowerPlay, giving away just 8 runs. Despite this, New Zealand ended the PowerPlay with 43/1—the highest score in that phase against South Africa in the tournament.
New Zealand continued to take risks, and Wolvaardt stuck with left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba. Bates, trying to move around and find gaps, was bowled by Mlaba when she missed a shot across the crease.
The game got more intense in the middle overs, and New Zealand lost Sophie Devine in the 11th over to an LBW decision confirmed by the TV umpire. South Africa controlled the game for a while, but Brooke Halliday changed things. She hit a sweep shot for four in the 14th over—New Zealand's first boundary in 49 balls—and followed it up with another one. Halliday and Kerr shifted the momentum, hitting two more boundaries in the 15th over from Nadine de Klerk.
South Africa began to get a touch sloppy as they bowled a couple of back foot no-balls and allowed a partnership to fester between Halliday and Kerr. Chloe Tryon, however, returned to break it with the wicket of Halliday in the 18th over. Kerr threw her bat around before falling for 43 and New Zealand finished how they began - with 41 runs in the last four overs taking them past the 150-run mark.
As always in a knockout fixture, Wolvaardt took charge by getting quick runs early on as South Africa had a steep required run rate to maintain. She and Tazmin Brits hit six fours between them in the PowerPlay to get to 47/0 in that period. The platform was there for South Africa to press ahead until Fran Jonas returned in the seventh over to put a spanner in their works.
Tazmin Brits, who'd made a slow start to the innings, took the spinner on and found Maddy Green at long-on. Amelia Kerr and Lea Tahuhu bowled a couple of tight overs to pile on the pressure, which cracked Wolvaardt in the 10th. After Anneke Bosch played out five dots in the previous over, Wolvaardt fell in the very next over trying to make amends.
She was lured into an uppish shot with a tossed-up ball outside the off-stump from Kerr, which she hit to Suzie Bates at extra cover. Kerr pushed the knife further into South Africa's heart with the wicket of semifinal hero Bosch in the same over - caught behind by Isabella Gaze that came via a very good review decision. South Africa's chase truly unravelled in the 12th and 13th over when they lost Marizanne Kapp - caught at deep square leg - and Nadine de Klerk - caught at short third.
The need to take risks brought the next few wickets as South Africa's lower order threw their bats around in the hope of bridging the gap between runs required and balls remaining. In that process, Kerr and Rosemary Mair picked three wickets each, while a couple of others picked one apiece to collectively end South Africa's hopes of breaking their World Cup duck.
South Africa started to get a bit careless, bowling a few no-balls and letting Halliday and Kerr build a solid partnership. However, Chloe Tryon came back to break it by taking Halliday’s wicket in the 18th over. Kerr swung her bat aggressively before getting out for 43, and New Zealand finished strong, scoring 41 runs in the last four overs to reach over 150.
As is typical in knockout matches, Wolvaardt took charge for South Africa, scoring quickly to keep up with the high run rate they needed. She and Tazmin Brits hit six fours between them during the PowerPlay, reaching 47/0. But everything changed when Fran Jonas returned to bowl in the seventh over, disrupting their momentum.
Tazmin Brits, who had started slowly, tried to attack the spinner but ended up getting caught by Maddy Green at long-on. Amelia Kerr and Lea Tahuhu then bowled some tight overs, putting pressure on South Africa, which led to Wolvaardt’s downfall in the 10th over. After Anneke Bosch faced five dot balls in the previous over, Wolvaardt tried to make up for it but was caught by Suzie Bates at extra-cover after hitting a tossed-up delivery from Kerr.
Kerr struck again in the same over, taking the wicket of semifinal hero Bosch, who was caught behind by Isabella Gaze after a successful review. South Africa’s chase fell apart in the 12th and 13th overs when they lost Marizanne Kapp, caught at deep square leg, and Nadine de Klerk, caught at short third.
With the need to take risks, South Africa’s lower order started swinging their bats wildly, hoping to close the gap between runs needed and balls remaining. This led to quick wickets, with Kerr and Rosemary Mair taking three each, while a few others chipped in, ultimately ending South Africa's hopes of winning their first World Cup.
Top Articles
See more
Shami, fully pain-free, aims to play domestic matches to prove his fitness for Australia
22 Oct 2024
New Zealand Fast Bowler Ben Sears Misses India Tour; Uncapped Jacob Duffy Added to Squad
15 Oct 2024
Sri Lanka Selects Former England Star Ian Bell as Batting Coach for Upcoming Test Series
14 Aug 2024
Get live cricket scores and insightful articles at Giritech Data Intelligence Pvt. Ltd. Follow your favorite matches and read expert analyses, player profiles, and more. Your ultimate destination for cricket updates and in-depth coverage.
Any Questions? Contact us at: contact@gamegiri.com
Copyright & Design By Giritech Data Intelligence Pvt. Ltd - 2024 All rights reserved.