Suzi bates

T20 World Cup: Clinical bowling by Amelia Kerr and Rosemary Mair helped New Zealand beat South Africa by 32 runs to lift their maiden title in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup at the Dubai International Stadium here on Sunday. Kerr and Mair picked three wickets each to restrict the Proteas to 126/9 in the second innings after New Zealand had posted a challenging 158/5 after they were asked to bat first in the final.

New Zealand women erased the bitter memories of the heartbreaks of their past T20 World Cup finals as they eventually triumphed in their third trip to the finals. The Proteas on the other hand have lost in the final for a second year running after having lost to Australia in the 2023 Women's T20 WC.

Asked to bat first, Amelia Kerr, Brooke Halliday, and Suzi Bates helped New Zealand post 158/5 in 20 overs. Georgia Plimmer and Bates opened with a strong start, but Plimmer’s attempted six off Marizanne Kapp was caught by Sune Luus. Bates soon followed, bowled by Nonkululeko Mlaba. Captain Sophie Devine was removed for six after a successful review by Nadine de Klerk.