As Eden Carson bowled the last ball of the Women’s T20 World Cup final between South Africa and New Zealand, Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates hugged each other. The rest of New Zealand’s players raced to the middle of the pitch to celebrate the momentous occasion of their maiden T20 World Cup triumph.
The summit clash between the two sides had its share of plots and subplots. But sport is such that there can be only one winner, and it was New Zealand’s players who etched their names in the history books by hoisting the trophy. The ever-reliable Amelia Kerr and Brooke Halliday were the game-breakers, with the duo powering New Zealand to a 32-run victory.
After the completion of six overs, it seemed as if South Africa were very much in the game. Laura Wolvaardt, the captain, looked in sublime form, cracking some trademark drives and pulls. Tazmin Brits, who too has been in prime form, provided Wolvaardt good support as South Africa raced to 47 for no loss after the Powerplay.
In the seventh over, Fran Jonas lifted New Zealand’s spirits by dismissing Brits, with Maddy Green pouching the catch. The way New Zealand’s players ran towards Green and Jonas just told something about the importance of that wicket. A couple of overs later, the experienced Lea Tahuhu kept Anneke Bosch quiet with a slew of off-cutters.
The significance of that over was that it put Wolvaardt under pressure to press the accelerator. The South African skipper looked to smash Kerr through extra cover but could only spoon a catch to the fielder. Kerr deserves praise for outmanoeuvring Wolvaardt as she tempted the batter with a tossed up delivery. Kerr made further inroads by removing Bosch. The all-rounder could barely walk due to cramps but she showed grit and belief.
When Eden Carson sent the veteran Marizanne Kapp back to the hut, South Africa were in dire straits. Chloe Tryon tried to hold the innings together but she had too much to do. On the given day, New Zealand’s fielding too was top-notch as they took almost all their chances. And everything that the skipper Sophie Devine tried, worked beautifully. For instance, she brought Halliday into the attack for a single over and she picked up a wicket.
One more salient feature of New Zealand’s victory was their intent with the bat. Georgia Plimmer charged down the track and smacked the fourth ball of New Zealand’s innings for a boundary. After Plimmer fell in the second over, Bates kept the scorecard ticking. South Africa’s spinners, however, put the brakes on the scoring rate, with Bates falling to Nonkululeko Mlaba. Nadine de Klerk then made it three down by picking up the key scalp of Devine.
The appeal for an LBW was turned down but South Africa got it reversed via DRS. Just a peek at the celebrations in the South African camp provided enough evidence of how much the wicket meant to them. Unfortunately for South Africa, there was a twist in the tale. Halliday flustered South Africa with her innovative shots behind square on both sides of the wicket and also via square of the wicket.
Kerr, who was finding it difficult to time the ball, also rediscovered her rhythm. In the 19th over, she collected a couple of boundaries, including a sumptuous inside-out stroke. Green thwacking Ayabonga Khaka for a six in the last over put New Zealand in pole position. New Zealand’s fielders and bowlers then backed it up with a clinical performance.
The final was also about fans making a beeline for entry into the stadium. An hour or two before the match, it didn’t seem as if there would be much of a crowd. However, as the blazing sun faded away, fans thronged the stadium. Most of them were supporting South Africa, but once more their cricket team couldn’t cross the final hurdle in an ICC tournament.
Meanwhile, it was a red-letter day in the history of New Zealand cricket. Just a few hours before New Zealand women were crowned the champions, the men’s team had posted a historic Test win over India in Bengaluru.
Brief scores: New Zealand 158/5 in 20 overs (Amelia Kerr 43, Brooke Halliday 38; Nonkululeko Mlaba 2-31) beat South Africa 126/9 in 20 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 33; Amelia Kerr 3-24) by 32 runs.