Rosemary Mair, Lea Tahuhu, and skipper Sophie Devine stun India as White Ferns seal a massive 58-run victory
India led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur was up against New Zealand led by skipper Sophie Devine in the 4th match of the tournament. New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine won the toss and elected to bat first at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The New Zealand openers Georgia Plimmer and Suzie Bates got their side off to a flying start with a 67-run partnership, scoring at over 8 runs an over. The openers showed remarkable intent to put pressure on India.
Arundhati Reddy picked up the wicket of Suzie Bates to provide the first breakthrough for India. Georgia Plimmer soon followed her back to the pavilion to provide the 2nd breakthrough for India. Skipper Sophie Devine joined Amelia Kerr at the crease and the duo stitched a much-needed 32-run partnership for the 3rd wicket to take their side close to the 100-run mark.
Renuka Singh picked up the wicket of Amelia Kerr to provide the 3rd breakthrough for her side. New Zealand eventually ended up with a total of 160/4 in their quota of 20 overs. The 46-run 4th wicket partnership between Brooke Halliday and skipper Sophie Devine played a crucial role in helping her side surpass the 150-run mark. Skipper Sophie Devine (57* off 36 balls), Georgia Plimmer (34 off 23 balls), Suzie Bates (27 off 24 balls), and Brooke Halliday (16 off 12 balls) were the top performers with the bat for New Zealand.
Renuka Singh (4-0-27-2), Asha Sobhana (4-0-22-1), and Arundhati Reddy (4-0-28-1) were the top performers with the ball for India. Chasing a target of 161, the Indian team never really got into the groove in the run chase as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. India were eventually bundled out for 102 with one over to spare. As a result, they fell 58 runs short of the target.
The 17-run 2nd wicket partnership between skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana was the highest partnership of the innings. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (15 off 14 balls), Jemimah Rodrigues (13 off 11 balls), and Deepti Sharma (13 off 18 balls) were the top performers with the bat for India. Rosemary Mair (4-0-19-4), Lea Tahuhu (4-0-15-3), Amelia Kerr (4-0-19-1), and Eden Carson (4-0-34-2) were the top performers with the ball for New Zealand.
Skipper Sophie Devine was awarded the Player of the Match for her brilliant match-winning, unbeaten half-century (57* off 36 balls) with the bat. Apart from her exploits with the bat, she was also brilliant in the field as she picked up three catches.