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New Zealand players observe with the trophy aft winning the Women's Cricket T20 World Cup. (Reuters)
Bridgetown, May 16, 2010. The last of ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Sophie Devine is connected strike, Ellyse Perry ran successful to bowl. New Zealand, chasing 107, needed 5 runs to triumph disconnected the past ball, oregon a 4 to unit a tie. A fullish shot from Perry was driven down the crushed with each the powerfulness that Devine could muster, but the Australian prima – an elite footballer who has represented the Matildas astatine the Fifa Women’s World Cup – enactment her close footwear retired and stopped the shot destined for the bound line. Australia were champions. Devine sank to her knees. It is simply a time that inactive gives her nightmares.
That day, a 9-year-old kid was watching successful New Zealand. Amelia Kerr remembers that day. “That time is the crushed I decided to go a White Fern,” she told ICC successful a video dedicated to Devine earlier the 2024 final. “It means truthful overmuch to maine (reaching the last with Devine) and the 9-year-old miss who was watching that match.”
On Sunday, Kerr didn’t conscionable play the last with Devine, she was the match-winner and the subordinate of the tournament. The young gun, inactive lone 24, led New Zealand to their first-ever World Cup title, with a stunning all-round show – 43 disconnected 38 balls and 3/24 arsenic South Africa were defeated by 32 runs. “I americium a small spot speechless, I americium conscionable truthful stoked to get this win, considering what this squad has been through. This is what dreams are made of,” Kerr said.
All-round excellence ✨
Melie Kerr is the Player of the Tournament 👑⬇️#T20WorldCup #WhateverItTakes #SAvNZhttps://t.co/IEzkdk0LMl
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) October 20, 2024
Asked to bat first, New Zealand posted a superb 158/5 successful 20 overs, acknowledgment to Kerr’s 43 and Brooke Halliday’s game-changing 38 disconnected 28 balls. In response, South Africa were disconnected to a beardown start, but erstwhile Kerr dismissed Laura Wolvaardt, determination was nary stopping New Zealand, who became lone the 4th squad to assistance this trophy.
While South Africa person been superb portion chasing successful the World Cup, New Zealand started disconnected with large intent acknowledgment to Suzie Bates. While the Powerplay was productive, keeping things ticking successful the 7-12 signifier had been a spot of an contented for New Zealand.
Turning point
With Kerr struggling for aboriginal momentum, and some Devine and Bates backmost successful the dugout, Halliday came successful and changed the momentum. Her 2 boundaries successful the 14th implicit ended a play of 48 balls without a boundary. A people of 159 was ever going to beryllium hard but aft South Africa’s bully start, Kerr and Eden Carson – 1 of the stars of the tourney – did what New Zealand had been doing consistently successful the tournament, taking regular wickets successful the mediate overs.
Coming into the tournament, not galore would person fixed New Zealand a accidental to scope the final, fto unsocial triumph it. They had mislaid 10 consecutive T20Is earlier the World Cup. Devine had announced that she was going to measurement down arsenic skipper aft this tournament. But they kept their belief, trusted their preparation, they stayed unneurotic – “we attraction for each different a lot” was a enactment repeated galore times aft their triumph successful subordinate interviews.
👑 CHAMPIONS 👑
New Zealand triumph their maiden Women’s #T20WorldCup rubric 🏆#WhateverItTakes #SAvNZ pic.twitter.com/Ab0lbjRM4w
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) October 20, 2024
It marked the extremity of a agelong hold for Devine and Bates, the 2 veterans who played the 2010 last and were contiguous 14 years aboriginal too. On the time of the final, Bates became the astir capped pistillate planetary cricketer, playing her 334th lucifer for New Zealand, 1 much than Mithali Raj’s 333. The 2 person seen beauteous overmuch everything the White Ferns person implicit the past decennary and some, and yet got to telephone themselves satellite champions. And they had the youngsters – not conscionable Kerr – to convey for, stepping up repeatedly during the tournament.
“I deliberation we each cognize that she is simply a once-in-a-generation subordinate and what she did contiguous was incredible,” Devine said of Kerr. “To bash what she did with the bat was amazing, battling her cramps. She is not a atrocious cricketer either, but I americium truthful arrogant of the idiosyncratic that she is, and however caring she is for this group. The world’s her oyster, and it’s scary to deliberation however bully she tin be.”
Brief scores: New Zealand 158/5 successful 20 overs (Amelia Kerr 43, Brooke Halliday 38, Suzie Bates 32) bushed South Africa 126/9 successful 20 overs (Laura Volvaardt 33; Amelia Kerr 3/24, Rosemary Mair 3/25) by 32 runs
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