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.
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday poured in 35 points as the Thunder grabbed a bounce-back 118-108 victory in Portland to push their NBA-best record to 37-8. The Thunder, surprised by the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, fended off a late surge from the Trail Blazers to snap their four-game winning streak. Jalen Williams scored 24 points and Isaiah Joe added 16 off the bench. Center Isaiah Hartenstein, back after a five-game absence with a calf injury, added 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a big block. The Western Conference leaders were under pressure late as Portland, trailing by 15 heading
Sumo is walking a “tightrope” as it prepares to stage events outside Japan for the first time in 20 years while also trying to preserve its ancient traditions, experts say. The sport is to hold exhibition tournaments in London in October and in Paris in June next year, the first time the Japan Sumo Association has been abroad since Las Vegas in 2005. Sports such as soccer, baseball and football play domestic games overseas in a bid to gain new fans in emerging markets. John Gunning, a former amateur sumo wrestler who commentates on the sport in English on Japanese television, says its
Cole Perfetti on Friday scored three goals for his first NHL hat-trick as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Utah Hockey Club 5-2. Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and two assists to reach 500 points for his career, while David Gustafsson also scored for Winnipeg. Connor Hellebuyck had 17 saves. Barrett Hayton and Nick Schmaltz scored for Utah, while Connor Ingram stopped 25 shots. Perfetti gave Winnipeg a 3-2 lead when he lifted the puck over a fallen Ingram on a pass from Vladislav Namestnikov 5 minutes, 51 seconds into the third period. Ehlers stole the puck at his own blue line and raced down
RSS