New Zealand captain Sophie Devine, in her final assignment as captain of the women’s team, led her team to a maiden T20 World Cup victory as the Kiwis triumphed over South Africa in Dubai to lift the trophy.
It was something of a surprise win, with this being a final that nobody would have seen coming. For New Zealand in particular, it was a coup, as they strung together win after win despite entering the tournament on a 10-match losing streak in the format.
Speaking in the press conference about what helped her and the team turn the script around, Devine said “It's really hard to pinpoint one moment or one game. Probably most recently is that India game though. I think that was probably the most complete performance we've had since the World Cup in South Africa [in 2023] and everything did come together and, as I said, it showed that belief and confidence in this group and to put it together and to know that we could do it.”
New Zealand began their World Cup campaign by thumping India in their opening match, winning in a brutal fashion against one of the teams that was a favourite to reach the knockout rounds. It was a massive 58-run victory, as the White Ferns piled on 160 runs in the first innings, before restricting Harmanpreet Kaur's team and bowling them out for 102.
‘India set the tone for us…’
{{/usCountry}}New Zealand began their World Cup campaign by thumping India in their opening match, winning in a brutal fashion against one of the teams that was a favourite to reach the knockout rounds. It was a massive 58-run victory, as the White Ferns piled on 160 runs in the first innings, before restricting Harmanpreet Kaur's team and bowling them out for 102.
‘India set the tone for us…’
{{/usCountry}}“I think was a massive moment for us and helped us on our journey to being here tonight with this in front of us. So hard to pinpoint because there's so much that goes into it," continued Devine.
"I mean, everyone thinks about the games, but it's the work that goes on behind the scenes that a lot of people don't see. But yeah, I think if you're talking about performances, that India one probably set the tone for us."
New Zealand only lost one match this tournament, against Australia. While that was a heavy loss, they bounced back well to beat Pakistan and seal qualification to the semifinals, where they once again managed to spark an upset by triumphing over 2016 T20 World Cup champs West Indies.
The team entered the final against South Africa after the Proteas knocked out Australia in the semifinals. New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr starred in the final, scoring 43 runs and also taking 3 wickets to boot, finishing as the leading wicket-taker with 15 scalps in 6 matches. The Kiwis won by 32 runs as they lifted their first women’s ICC trophy since the 2000 ODI World Cup.