After a brief period of time, the women’s cricket team of New Zealand made history by winning its first-ever Women’s T20 World Cup with a 32-run victory over South Africa in a thriller on Sunday, 13 October 2024, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
This was a significant win for White Ferns, who included this T20 victory with the one-day international title they had won at the 2000 Cricket World Cup. Amelia Kerr’s all-round performance proved the difference for New Zealand as they finally claimed their first T20 World Cup.
New Zealand Steers Off to a Great Start
Quite understandably, the Kiwi team chose to bat first once their counterpart’s skipper Laura Wolvaardt called the toss and decided upon fielding. New Zealand got a great start. The White Ferns, therefore, posted a competitive total of 158-5 in their 20 overs, with crucial contributions coming through the top order. Amelia Kerr played an important role with the bat by topping the score for her side with a 38-ball 43 showing outstanding composure to keep the innings anchored and looking healthy at the run rate.
In addition to Mulder, Suzie Bates also played a notable role as she scored 32 off 31 deliveries. Bates and Kerr set up New Zealand’s innings with a 57-run stand at the second wicket. Brooke Halliday was also important at the death as she scored 38 off just 28 balls, accelerating the scoring in the later part of the innings. In general, her aggressive approach in the death overs gave New Zealand the much-needed momentum to push their total over 150.
Nonkululeko Mlaba was the pick for South Africa, who bowled four overs taking 2 wickets for 31. She alone fought hard against the New Zealand batsmen to level out and put a tough total on the scoreboard for South Africa’s bowlers.
Starting well, South Africa are chasing 159 in a bid to win their maiden Women’s T20 World Cup title. At one point, the game was looking to be on course for a serious challenge as they reached 51-1 inside the first seven overs before the New Zealand bowlers took a firm grip on the game in the middle overs.
South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt showed the way with bat as she scored 33 off 27 balls. Her innings did give some hope for Proteas, but the heroine of the day was clearly Amelia Kerr, who took both bat and ball to New Zealand’s advantage. Her spell of 3-24 in four overs also ensured an upper hand for New Zealand when she picked up the prized wicket of the skipper.
As wickets continued to tumble steadily, South Africa was left fighting to keep up with the required rate of scoring. At the midway point of their innings, they had been reduced to 64-3 and the chase was getting stiffer with the additional pressure being added on. The New Zealand bowlers, particularly Kerr, were relentless with their pressure, never letting South Africa’s batters settle into a run-groove.
South Africa’s innings ended in a disappointing total of 126-9, short of the target required by 32 runs. Initial promise by the Proteas went up in smoke when the middle overs failed to build any genuine partnerships or accelerate as the match progressed.
Amelia Kerr Shines
The turning point of New Zealand was because of Amelia Kerr’s all-round performance where she anchored the innings at the right moment with the bat, as her tight bowling spell took the sting off South Africa’s chase. Kerr’s 3-24 in four overs won her the game for New Zealand, and she was rightly the Player of the Match.
Contributions in the last over underlined the importance she has played for New Zealand in this tournament, where she had delivered pretty well both with bat as well as ball.
The Heartbreak for South Africa
South Africa had their second consecutive loss at the T20 World Cup finals. They had come as close as a silver medal in 2023 by defeating Australia but left in despair as they failed to win the trophy. The Proteas had done so well to show promise throughout the tournament. They stunned the cricketing world by defeating defending champions Australia by eight wickets in the semifinals.
South Africa still had an excellent journey to the final. The whole team showed stamina and prowess in the tournament, especially against Australia, which had set up hopes for a first-ever T20 World Cup title. On the final day, New Zealand outplayed them because it was a more disciplined and determined team on that particular day.
A Milestone for New Zealand
The New Zealand White Ferns ended their tournament on a winning note to mark the very first win for any New Zealand team, men’s or women’s team, as the team emerged as the first-ever winners of the T20 World Cup. New Zealand’s Black Caps are the country’s men’s national team and have never emerged victorious in the T20 World Cup, although they have made several finals for the T20 and one-day international tournaments.
This victory adds to New Zealand cricket history, as the last meaningful competition win by the White Ferns was the 2000 Cricket World Cup. The success of 2024 underlines the progressive development of the team as stalwarts like Amelia Kerr have come forward to showcase world-class talent.
Looking Ahead
This victory doesn’t just mean the Women’s T20 World Cup trophy for New Zealand but also marks a very important moment in the history of women’s cricket, demonstrated by improving standards and competitiveness in this game in general. South Africa have had their pieces fall apart very badly in this match, an inevitable pain, but their performances in this tournament provide a lot to look out for come the next set of matches.
Celebration of history in New Zealand cricketing history will mark the title under the White Ferns in the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup since they finally stood out, true to their perseverance, skills, and determination in making it to the top on this world field.
ALSO READ: Uttarakhand to Host 38th National Games in 2025: A Grand Celebration of Sports and Culture
