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Cricket - T20 World Cup Final: How The White Ferns Sealed Victory Against South Africa
Ben Strang, in Dubai
New Zealand's White Ferns have been crowned T20 World Champions stunning the cricketing world in the United Arab Emirates.
Unfancied prior to the tournament, New Zealand found form at the right time and upset several teams on their way to the nation's first limited overs World Cup in either the women's or men's game.
The White Ferns became champions 14 years after they last appeared in a final. Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates played that day, edged by 3 runs by Australia when Devine was unable to find the boundary on the last ball.
Redemption has been a long time coming, and it has never been more unexpected.
Over the last few years, the White Ferns have seldom flirted with any sense of good form.
To say they flew under the radar for this tournament would be an understatement. More appropriate would be to say they were under the sonar.
Teams have peaks and troughs, but New Zealand was more Mariana Trench than Mount Everest
Or so it seemed.
As the World Cup began, New Zealand laid down a marker with a thumping victory over the might of India.
They unveiled the grand plan which was about 18 months in the making, shifting captain Sophie Devine down the order, trusting the youth of Georgia Plimmer to plunder at the top, and using their strong variety of spin and pace options to restrict teams who would chase.
Come Sunday night's final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, South Africa would play right into that plan.
Winning the toss, South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt chose to bowl. The powerful South African batting lineup are known for their chasing ability, and they weren't worried about New Zealand's plan.
Perhaps they should have been.
Just 45 minutes out from the first ball being bowled, South Africa was running through fielding drills. Bowlers were bowling. Batters were batting. Lazer focussed.
New Zealand was in the midst of a full squad, staff included, game of spot. Basically a game where you keep a football from bouncing more than once.
They were laughing and joking. Cricket wasn't really on their mind. You couldn't imagine a more relaxed, nerve free team heading into a major final.
And so it proved when the game began.
Plimmer, all 20 years of her, came charging down the wicket to hit two fours in the first over, easing any pressure on her more senior partner Bates.
While she fell soon after, Amelia Kerr arrived to calm the nerves, smashing a boundary first ball and then guiding the innings like she so often does.
South Africa had their moments, as teams are allowed to. For 8 overs New Zealand couldn't find the boundary, and the run rate stalled. A brilliant start looked like it may have been squandered.
Brooke Halliday then arrived to hammer home two boundaries in two balls, and New Zealand accelerated to the finish.
With 158-5 on the board, the White Ferns exceeded all pre-innings expectations. About 140 was par, we were told. No team had chased so much in a Women's T20 World Cup final.
Now, every time a boundary was hit in the game, fireworks went off from the stadium roof. And those fireworks were far too quiet at times during New Zealand's innings.
South Africa then set them off far too often in the power play, racing to a 51-run opening stand as Wolvaardt smashed all the bowlers.
Up stepped Amelia Kerr, again, as she has throughout the tournament. Bang. Bang.
Two wickets in an over turned the game on its head. South Africa went from 51-0 to 64-3 in the blink of an eye.
From then on, it was all New Zealand.
From the depths of despair, the White Ferns have now climbed Everest. World Champions.
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