Whatever the result in Dubai today, there is to be a new name on the trophy when New Zealand line up against South Africa in the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup.
Australia’s dominance — winning six of the eight previous tournaments — has restricted the opportunities for anyone else.
Only England, in the inaugural tournament in 2009, and the West Indies in 2016 have seen them off.
Photo: AFP
It promises to be a fitting finale to a competition that has produced some excellent — and some middling — cricket after it was switched at short notice to the United Arab Emirates following political unrest in Bangladesh, where it was due to take place.
Apart from bringing new interest to the women’s game, the final also pits the two sides who have played the canniest and most courageous cricket over the competition.
Unlike others, they have also largely held their catches, although the White Ferns did make life more awkward for themselves in their semi-final win over the West Indies by dropping Deandra Dottin twice.
Photo: Reuters
Not many teams get away with that.
After making just 128-9, which even on a slow Sharjah pitch felt 10 to 15 runs short, the Kiwis defended that total superbly against a batting line-up which, as England found to their discomfort in their winner-takes-all group match, takes no prisoners.
Amelia Kerr, the leading wicket-taker for the tournament with 12, and Eden Carson bowled superbly, leading skipper Sophie Devine to look optimistically toward the final.
Photo: AFP
“We are really excited about the final. We have nothing to lose and that is a great space to be,” said Devine, who was in the team who lost to Australia by three runs in the 2010 final, the latter of New Zealand’s two previous finals. “We are going to win this thing now.”
However, she is more than aware of the dangers presented by a South Africa side who went close last year, losing to Australia by 19 runs in the final in Cape Town.
“They are an incredible side,” said Devine, picking out captain Laura Wolvaardt, evergreen all-rounder Marizanne Kapp and top-order batter Anneke Bosch, whose stunning 74 not out led South Africa to their eight-wicket win over Australia in Thursday’s first semi-final.
Photo: AP
“Laura leads them from the front,” she said. “Kapp is one of the best players in the world [and] Bosch in the game against Australia was superb, but we have to focus on ourselves and hope the cricketing gods are on our side as well.”
South Africa have also grown in the past 12 months with that trio of players at the forefront of the batting, while Nonkululeko Mlaba, equal-second-highest wicket-taker with 10, has led the bowling attack with strong backing, especially from Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka.
“I’m just incredibly proud of everyone and the team and just the way that we approached this whole World Cup and how we’ve played throughout,” Bosch said after her match-winning knock.
“I think we kind of said we haven’t played our best game yet and probably still haven’t, but hopefully we’re leaving it for the finals now,” she added.
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
Former Australian motorcycle gang member-turned-golfer Ryan Peake, who served a lengthy jail term for assault, yesterday produced a “life-changing” maiden win to qualify for The Open Championship. Peake held his nerve for a one-stroke victory at the New Zealand Open, earning him a berth at the major in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in July, pending clearance to travel as a convicted criminal. The 31-year-old from Perth celebrated animatedly and was showered with champagne by friends on the 18th green of the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown after a redemption story rarely seen in the refined sport of golf. Peake held back tears as he
MILWAUKEE PREVAIL: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points as the Bucks withstood Nikola Jokic’s 27th triple-double of the season to beat the Nuggets Golden State star Stephen Curry on Thursday drilled 12 three-pointers in a scintillating 56-point display that carried the Warriors to a 121-115 victory over the Orlando Magic. Curry’s explosive performance helped the Warriors dig themselves out of a 17-point hole, with the point guard signaling the start of the fightback with a three-pointer from beyond the half-court line to end the first half that pulled the Warriors within 66-52 at the break. In the third quarter, he single-handedly outscored the Magic with 22 points to Orlando’s 21. The four-time NBA champion finished two three-pointers shy of former teammate Klay Thompson’s record for most
RSS