South Africa vs New Zealand LIVE: T20 World Cup final reaction after Kiwis win by 32 runs
Follow all the live action from the Women’s T20 World Cup final in Dubai
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New Zealand overcame their demons from the past to win the Women’s T20 World Cup for the first time in Dubai, beating South Africa by 32 runs.
In 2010, Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine were a part of the team that were beaten in the final and they played a perfect match to ensure that this time around they would leave with the trophy.
Amelia Kerr starred with bat and ball as New Zealand scored 158 runs having lost the toss and been put in to bat and with the ball they held their nerve to take wickets at key moments as South Africa only managed 126 for nine in reply.
Australia travelled to Dubai as the number one ranked T20 side in the world and favourites to lift a fourth successive trophy, but were knocked out by South Africa in the semi-finals.
England and India both faltered at the group stage and never reached the knockouts, ensuring that the final will be the first white-ball women’s final without Australia or England being involved.
Six-time winners Australia suffered a shock loss to South Africa, who won by eight wickets, chasing down 135 with 16 balls to spare. New Zealand, meanwhile, defeated the West Indies by nine runs in a tense and close semi-final to set up today’s showpiece.
Follow all the live action in the blog below:
New Zealand score 158 from their 20 overs in the Women’s T20 World Cup final
Here are some photos from the first innings:
New Zealand score 158 from their 20 overs in the Women’s T20 World Cup final
Final over of the New Zealand innings, Khaka fires one down the leg side, and it will be a wide which the batters have run.
There have been 15 extras in this innings so far.
Khaka fumbles the ball in and there’s another two to bring up the 150 which is a good score in a final.
She re-adjusts with a full toss and that has been rightly smashed for the first six of the innings by Green!
Green is then put down next ball! They come back for two and that takes the total up to 158!
Wicket! Kerr out for 43! New Zealand 142-5 (19) Green 1, Gaze 1, Mlaba 2-31 (4)
Kerr finds the gap and brings up another boundary! The ball goes into the gap, and she follow it up with another one on the off side.
Kerr hadn’t been scoring particularly quickly before this over, but she has taken the attack on here now.
But that’s it for Kerr! She goes for another boundary but doesn’t get hold of it enough and is caught at deep midwicket!
New Zealand 131-4 (18) Kerr 33, Green 1, Tryon 1-22 (4)
Halliday goes up and straight but it hasn’t got the distance to go all the way, although it was too straight to be in danger of being caught.
But she goes next ball! Halliday launches the ball into the leg side, but straight into the safe hands of the fielder at deep square leg.
Maddy Green is the new batter. There’s an umpire review for run out against Kerr, but she was well in.
Tryon has just stemmed the flow of runs, and got the crucial wicket.
New Zealand 124-3 (17) Kerr 31, Halliday 36, Kapp 0-25 (4)
Kapp will come back on for her last over, this is a big roll of the dice from Wolvaardt.
Halliday just tucks the ball into the leg side for a single, and it’s another back foot no ball!
Halliday fires one through the gap on the off side but Chloe Tryon does well to get round and cut off the boundary.
The batters are starting to look tired out there as they fight for singles and twos.
Kapp goes wicketless in the final.
New Zealand 116-3 (16) Kerr 29, Halliday 31, Khaka 1-28 (3)
Halliday hits Khaka back just over her head for a single.
Another one is hit back at her, this time on the full and Khaka has put down the chance. It was hit hard but still a one-handed chance.
New Zealand 110-3 (15) Kerr 27, Halliday 26, De Klerk 1-13 (2)
De Klerk comes into the attack and another boundary is only stopped by some good fielding from Brits on the rope.
New Zealand bring up the hundred in the 15th over.
Halliday finds the gap on the off side behind backward point this time and brings up another boundary.
No ball for the back foot touching the tramlines and another free hit, it goes over Luus and brings another four runs to New Zealand’s total.
New Zealand 97-3 (14) Kerr 20, Halliday 21, Luus 0-17 (2)
A quick run two starts off Luus’ second over.
Halliday goes down the ground and over the top but can’t quite send it to the boundary.
Halliday has her boundary! It looked for a moment like it might be a six but just dropped inside the rope. It has come on the leg side for the left hander.
She has a second! Nadine de Klerk lets the ball go straight through her and back to back boundaries have relieved the pressure.
New Zealand 85-3 (13) Kerr 19, Halliday 10, Mlaba 1-20 (3)
Mlaba is trying to take the sweep shot out, Kerr goes down the ground but again it’s just a single.
The last boundary feels like a very long time ago.
But that pressure has almost been released, Halliday fires one through the gap in the ring but the ball just stops short of the rope.
Halliday fires one up but there’s no one underneath it.
New Zealand 79-3 (12) Kerr 17, Halliday 6, Luus 0-5 (1)
Luus will have her first over and she does well to field an attempted drive from Kerr straight off the first ball.
Halliday heaves into the leg side but can’t quite get hold of it.
Halliday tries a reverse sweep, doesn’t quite get hold of it, it’s another two.
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