Follow UsThe White Ferns were having a terrible 2024 before the Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE. They came into this tournament having lost 12 of their last 13 T20Is. In fact, they remained winless in their last 10 T20Is. But it all changed once they hammered India in their first game of the 20-over showpiece event.
New Zealand did lose to Australia in the group stage but defeated Sri Lanka and Pakistan to qualify for the semis. Then came the in-form West Indies and the White Ferns brushed them aside in a low-scoring thriller. Sophie Devine and Co. now had South Africa in front of them, the same team that smashed Australia in the semis, but New Zealand was having none of it.
What South Africa did to Australia, the White Ferns did exactly that to them in the grand finale on October 20 (Sunday). Asked to bat first, New Zealand hit 158/5 in their 20 overs and then restricted South Africa to just 126/9 in the second innings. Skipper Devine couldn’t hide her excitement and expressed what her team has gone through in the last few months.
“I think once I get my hands around that trophy... I let myself dream last night about what it would be like to hold the trophy. Didn't want to get too far ahead of myself. Hard to put into words what it means, not just to me but to this group of players. And for New Zealand Cricket as well. It's been a long time between drinks,” said Devine after New Zealand won their maiden T20 World Cup.
“The great thing about this group is we've known what we've been trying to achieve the last 18 months. Results haven't gone in our favour but we know we've been building in the right direction. Look, we played the two best teams in the world for 15 games in a row. It was a pretty steep learning curve but we knew that we keep taking steps in the right direction. Absolutely, you want momentum and all that but we've rewritten it. As you say, coming off 10 losses in a row. Coming at the World Cup, everyone starts at zero.”
Devine also praised her close friend and long-term teammate Suzie Bates, who became the most capped female player in international cricket history. “Just speaks to the volume of who Suze is as a player that she's now the most capped player in the history of the women's game. It's unbelievable to think that she can go out there and play with such aggression and such fearlessness. It set the tone for the rest of the lineup. To have her in the lineup - everyone knows how special I find Suze.”
Bates scored 32 off 31 but it was Amelia Kerr (38-ball 43) and Brooke Halliday (28-ball 38) who gave New Zealand some much-needed boost in the second half of the innings. Kerr was named Player of the Match and Player of the Series. “Brooke was outstanding in the way she hit the pockets. The thing we've spoken as a group is the effort and energy you've put in. We all know she's a once-in-a-generation player (Kerr).”
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