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New Zealand beat South Africa comfortably by 32 runs in the final of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 on Sunday, October 20. The Dubai International Cricket Stadium hosted this thrilling contest. It was New Zealand's first-ever World Cup trophy victory across formats.
South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and opted to bowl first in the contest. Amelia Kerr (43), Brooke Halliday (38), and Suzie Bates (32) performed decently to help New Zealand reach a decent total of 158/5 in 20 overs. Nonkululeko Mlaba scalped two wickets for South Africa in the bowling department.
Amelia Kerr (3/24) and Rosemary Mair (3/25) then bowled magnificently for the White Ferns and restricted the Proteas team to 126/9 to win the match. Laura Wolvaardt fought to keep her side in the contest with a knock of 33 (27) but did not receive much support from her teammates.
New Zealand players were ecstatic after the final delivery of the match and celebrated jubilantly following their maiden World Cup win.
You can watch the celebrations of the New Zealand players and their support staff members in the posts below:
"We've known what we have wanted to build for the last 12 months"- New Zealand captain Sophie Devine after win vs South Africa ICC Womens T20 World Cup 2024 final
At the post-match presentation ceremony, New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine reflected on the memorable triumph and said:
"Allowed myself to dream a bit last night about what it would feel like holding that trophy. Unbelievable.It's been a long time between drinks for New Zealand. We've known what we have wanted to build for the last 12 months. Even when the results weren't going our way, we knew we were building the right way. We played two of the best teams in the world for two games in a row. You want momentum but we've rewritten it. Coming off 10 losses in a row but in a World Cup, everyone starts at zero."
On Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament awards winner, Amelia Kerr, Devine added:
"We all know she's a once in a generation player (Kerr). Physically, to do what she did, I am pretty sure she can't feel her legs anymore. The person that she is, how caring she is, it's scary to think how good she could be."
Amelia Kerr ended the tournament as the leading wicket-taker with 15 scalps from six games. She also scored 135 runs with the bat and was the most valuable player for the World Cup champions.
