How New Zealand won the Women’s T20 World Cup

New Zealand, world champions! That’s a surprise for cricket watchers. The team, led by Sophie Devine,stunned their rivals to win the World T20 Women’s Cup on Sunday. That wasn’t a surprise to the Kiwis, who believed in themselves.

White Ferns, as the Kiwi women cricketers are known, never figured in the list of potential winners in the runup to the World Cup in the UAE. They were the underdogs — the team on the fringes capable of an upset or two but not champion material. On Sunday, Devine and her merry band of ladies scaled the podium at the Dubai International Stadium, pumping their fists and prancing around. They were on top of the world.

How did New Zealand win? Their preparations have been pathetic. A 10-match losing streak is no way to prepare for the World Cup. But then, the Kiwis believed in themselves, not their abysmal record.

The turning point for Kiwis

First up, they lanced down India — a favourite to displace champions Australia. That fired up the Kiwis, who stumbled against Australia in a league game but picked themselves up superbly to make a run for the semifinals.

Captain Devine admitted that the win against India was the turning point. “It showed the confidence in the group, and we knew we could do it. It was a massive moment for us to help in our journey to be here tonight,” she said at the post-match press conference.

The win over India set a template for their success. The early flourish in the powerplay from Georgia Plimmer and Suzie Bates gives way to the middle-order solidity from Amelia Kerr and Devine before Brooke Halliday, Isabella Gaze and Maddy Green blaze away in the slog overs. That’s followed by the examination from off-spinner Eden Carson before Kerr bamboozles the batters with her googlies, leaving the stage for mediumpacer Lea Tahuhu and left-arm spinner Fran Jonas to apply the final squeeze.

It was replayed in the final too. South Africa made New Zealand’s task easier by opting to bowl first, and the Kiwis never looked the gift horse in the mouth. A strong powerplay, when Bates revelled, followed by Kerr’s enterprise in the company of Halliday, set up the Kiwi total of 158. The trophy was in the bag; never have a total of over 150 been chased down in a Women’s World Cup final.

South Africa Laura Wolvaardt’s belief in an improbable victory was undermined by Tazmim Brits’ poor timing and Anneke Bosch’s inability to find boundaries. Wolvaardt succumbed to the pressure and the rest perished in the bid to keep up with the soaring required run rate.

This is precisely what New Zealand did in their romp to the final. Even the West Indies, who made short work of England, another aspirant to the throne, succumbed to the Kiwi strategy. In the semifinal, New Zealand’s clinical approach trumped the Caribbean flair.

Did South Africa choke again?

In the final, the question was whether South Africa would choke. The men’s team have been notorious for losing matches from winning positions — the recent T20 World Cup is the best example. The women went further and lost it at the toss.

The decision to bat to was puzzling since chasing a target on a slow Dubai pitch, conducive to spin was asking for trouble. The win over Australia may have been a factor in South Africa’s decision, but pressures in a final are different. South African women found out that on Sunday. Now they know why their men’s team lost a winning match to India.

New Zealand showed them how to play a final. South Africa floundered in their second straight title clash. They would have learned their lessons. Hopefully, they will come out stronger next time around.

As for New Zealand, they are lucky the third time around, having lost the 2009 and 2010 finals. The women’s win will act as as inspiration. Devine and Bates may be the oldies in the team, but they showed the value of experience. The Kerrs and other youngsters will carry the legacy forward.

Now, it’s time to toast a Kiwi victory.