Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 final: New Zealand win maiden trophy, beat South Africa by 32 runs

New Zealand on 20 October created a history by winning the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 for the first time as they defeated South Africa by 32 runs.

New Zealand restricted South Africa to 126-9 in 20 overs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in reply to New Zealand’s 158-5 in the final of the 18-day tournament.

It is to be known that South Africa was also seeking to become a first-time champion.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine said, as quoted by Cricbuzz, “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. 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 WC, everyone starts at zero. 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. Spoken about at length before Lea is the sort of person you want in the team,” she added.

Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 final:

Earlier in the day, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and opted to bowl first.

Following this, New Zealand all-rounder batter Amelia Kerr scored a quick 43 runs in just 38 deliveries, including four boundaries. She was awarded with 'Player of the Match' and 'Player of the Series'.

Apart from Kerr, Suzie Bates (32) and Brooke Halliday (38) contributed a lot to the team in the most important time. Maddy Green's single SIX of the innings was also counted, taking the team's total to 158 runs off 5 wickets.

For South Africa, Nonkululeko Mlaba took two wickets, while Ayabonga Khaka, Chloe Tryon, and Nadine de Klerk each took one wicket.

Chasing a target of 159 runs, South Africa's batters seemed to struggle in front of the Kiwis' bowling attack. Besides skipper Laura Wolvaardt (33), no other batter could breach the 20-run target. The Proteas could only score 126 runs off 9 wickets and lost the T20 World Cup by 32 runs.

For New Zealand, Rosemary Mair and Amelia Kerr picked three wickets each, while Eden Carson, Fran Jonas and Brooke Halliday took one wicket each.

With agency inputs.