New Zealand cricket fans have much to celebrate, as both the men's and women's teams made history on Sunday.While the Kiwi men’s team ended a 36-year drought of Test win in India by defeating the hosts by eight wickets at Chinnaswamy Stadium here, the women's team claimed their maiden T20 World Cup title.
The men's team was led by Rachin Ravindra, who starred with a brilliant century in the first innings and an unbeaten 39 in the second to seal a memorable victory in Bengaluru. The women's team, led by Amelia Kerr’s all-round performance, outplayed South Africa to lift the World Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
After being asked to bat first by South African captain Laura Wolvaardt, New Zealand posted a competitive total of 158/5 in their 20 overs. Veteran opener Suzie Bates provided a steady start with her 32 runs, marking her record-breaking appearance as the most-capped player in Women’s International cricket history. Despite early setbacks, Bates’ partnership with Melie Kerr kept the scoreboard ticking.
The turning point for New Zealand came in the middle overs, where Amelia played a crucial anchoring role with a well-paced 43 off 38 balls. Brooke Halliday (38 from 28) provided the fireworks at the other end, with their 57-run partnership accelerating New Zealand towards a commanding total. Maddy Green’s late cameo of 12 off 6 balls, including a huge six in the final over, further boosted the team’s tally.
South Africa’s bowling unit, led by Nonkululeko Mlaba (2/24), did well to contain New Zealand at times, but the final five overs saw the Kiwis plunder 48 runs to push the target beyond 150, a challenging total for a World Cup final.
In reply, South Africa got off to a positive start, with Wolvaardt (33) leading from the front. But it was Amelia's magical double-wicket over that shifted the momentum firmly in New Zealand’s favour. First, she sent Wolvaardt back to the pavilion, and soon after, Anneke Bosch (9) followed in quick succession, leaving South Africa’s chase in tatters.
From there, wickets tumbled at regular intervals, with Amelia's allround performance supported by Rosemary Mair’s clinical bowling (3/25). South Africa’s middle order, including Nadine de Klerk and Chloe Tryon, tried to steady the ship, but the mounting run rate proved too much to handle.
New Zealand bowlers kept things tight, and when Eden Carson bowled the final over, it was clear that the result was sealed long before the Proteas ended on 126/9, 32 runs short of their target.
As the New Zealand women’s team celebrated their first-ever T20 World Cup title under the lights of the Dubai International Stadium, their men’s counterparts were toasting a hard-fought victory over India in Bengaluru, marking one of the greatest days in New Zealand cricket history.
Amelia was rightly named Player of the Match for her all-round performance, which included 43 runs with the bat and 3 wickets with the ball. The victory was a fitting reward for New Zealand’s consistency throughout the tournament and capped off a golden day for cricket in the nation. (UNI)
