New Zealand's golden generation players, led by Sophie Devine, will have their last chance to get their hands on the global ICC trophy when the team takes on South Africa in the final of the T20 World Cup here on Sunday.
This final match is sure to give a new champion of the T20 world because both the teams have never won the title of this format before.
The New Zealand women's team won the ODI World Cup in 2000 but no member of the current team was a part of that historic title win.
Before the start of the event, New Zealand's confidence was shaken due to 10 consecutive defeats, but under the leadership of Devine, the group made a spectacular comeback. The team benefited from the presence of experienced players like Suzie Bates, Amelia Kerr and Lee Tahuhu.
This is likely the last time Devine, Bates and Tahuhu will play for the national team in a global tournament.
Thirty-five-year-old Devine has more than 7,000 runs in the white-ball format, while 37-year-old Bates has more than 10,000 runs to his name.
Fast bowler Tahuhu is 34 years old. He has taken 112 wickets in ODIs and 93 wickets in T20 Internationals. These players will leave no stone unturned to fulfill their dream of the World Cup trophy.
South Africa would also like to overcome last year's troubles and win the title. Last year, it had lost to Australia in the World Cup final on home soil.
New Zealand's players have raised the level of their play at crucial junctures in the tournament and when the batsmen's performance has declined, the bowlers have helped the team win matches. A similar scene was seen in the semi-final match against West Indies when the bowlers won the low-scoring match by stopping the aggressive batsmen of West Indies.
Kerr now has 12 wickets in his name in the tournament. He got good support from the other end from Aiden Carson (eight wickets), Rosemary Mair (seven wickets) and the experienced Tahuhu.
New Zealand started their campaign in the tournament with a big win over India but suffered a 60-run defeat in the group stage against Australia, one of the strongest teams of the tournament.
The team sealed its ticket to the final for the third time by registering a morale-boosting win over West Indies in a low-scoring semi-final.
South Africa has performed brilliantly in every department of the game. Laura Wolwart (190 runs) and Tajmin Britts (170 runs) are among the highest run scorers in the tournament.
The team's morale would have been boosted significantly due to the spectacular eight-wicket victory over Australia in the semi-finals. In this match, South Africa won the match with more than two overs remaining after restricting Australia to 135 runs for five wickets.
The South African team will largely depend on the pair of Wolvaart and Britts. However, the pair will also need the support of players like Anneke Bosch and Marijan Kapp.
In bowling, Nonkulule Mlaba (10 wickets) will also need the rest of the bowlers to repeat their performance in the semi-finals.
Teams:
New Zealand: Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Isabella Gage (wk), Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lee Tahuhu.
South Africa: Laura Wolwart (captain), Anneke Bosch, Tajmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annelies Derksen, Mieke de Ridder (wk), Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus, Nonkulule Mlaba, Seshni Naidoo, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloe Tryon.
The match will start at 07:30 PM Indian time.
Also read :-
Know why these symptoms can be serious for women, definitely pay attention to these signs
Comments are closed.