WeeklySA_AdminHISTORY: PROTEA WOMEN will face New Zealand in Sunday’s final, meaning there’s guaranteed to be a new winner of the Women’s T20 World Cup
By Sports Reporter
There will be a first-time winner of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup when New Zealand play South Africa in Sunday’s final in Dubai.
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New Zealand qualified for the Sunday’s main event after beating 2016 champions the West Indies by eight runs in the second semi-final in Sharjah on Friday. A day earlier, South Africa had buried the ghosts of the loss in the 2023 final as they beat three-time defending champions Australia by eight wickets in the first semi-final in Dubai.
While New Zealand are returning to the final of Women’s T20 World Cup after a gap of 14 years, it will be a second successive final for South Africa in as many years.
New Zealand’s road to the final has been nothing short of remarkable as the Sophie Devine-led side entered into the tournament on the back of 10 straight losses in T20Is. In the World Cup New Zealand were part of Group A alongside Australia, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The White Ferns started their World Cup campaign with a 58-run win over India. The victory was followed by a 60-run loss at the hands of Australia. New Zealand then bounced back to pull-off back-to-back wins over Sri Lanka and West Indies by 8 wickets and 54 runs respectively.
Like New Zealand, South Africa too were off to a winning start in the tournament as they pulled off a 10-wicket win over the West Indies in their first match of Group B. The Proteas then had to face a 7-wicket drubbing from England. South Africa brushed aside Scotland and Bangladesh by 80 runs and 7 wickets respectively and qualified for the semifinals.
The final will also be the occasion to see the tournament’s leading wicket-taker and tournament’s highest-run scorer in action at the same time. New Zealand spinner Amelia Kerr has claimed 12 wickets, the most by a bowler in this World Cup. Meanwhile South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt has been inspirational with the bat having scored 190 runs.
South Africa look the more balanced of the two sides as they also boast in their ranks Tazmin Brits (tournament’s second highest run-scorer with 170 runs) and Nonkululeko Mlaba (tournament’s second-highest wicket-taker with 10 wickets). Historically it is New Zealand who have dominated this rivalry.
With the chance of winning a first World Cup title (across T20s and ODIs), both the teams will come hard at each other. While for one team the wait for the elusive World Cup trophy will end and it will be heartbreak for the other team as their search for glory will extend a little longer.
