Sophie Devine struck her eighth half-century against South Africa to lead New Zealand’s women to a six-wicket victory in the third T20I at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday.
The victory target of 150, reached in 18.4 overs, proved a record for New Zealand in T20Is at home and enabled the White Ferns to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. The next match is in Hamilton on Sunday while the series will be wrapped up in Christchurch next Wednesday.
Devine must smile whenever she plays the Proteas. She has scored a generous proportion of her runs against South Africa, a figure that includes a century. “We were pretty calm and relaxed,” she said, describing her partnership with Maddy Green that took her team to victory. “We didn’t want to let the run-rate go much above seven or eight and that worked out well with a couple of big overs.” Talking about the team she concluded: “We’ve got a great mix of youth and experience. It’s very exciting.”
The powerful right-hander was in fine form for the White Ferns, striking six fours and a six in her unbeaten 55 in 38 balls. Her unbroken fifth-wicket partnership of 84 in 53 balls with Green (34 off 25 balls) was by far the biggest of the match and ensured victory for the home team.
When Green joined Devine with the total on 68 for four at the halfway mark, the match looked in the balance. But a big 17th over, in which Ayanda Hlubi conceded 17 runs, broke the back of South Africa’s resistance and the match ended on a slightly anti-climactic note in the penultimate over when Nadine de Klerk bowled a delivery so wide that it was called a no-ball, the ball eluding the wicketkeeper and going to the boundary.
South Africa’s captain, Laura Wolvaardt, conceded that “we were a bit short with the bat, but we did well to recover through Kayla (Reneke). I thought it was a total we could defend, but one or two overs cost us. Also it’s difficult when Sophie bats through the innings, particularly in the form she’s in.”
Reyneke had earlier given South Africa’s innings a late boost, smashing an unbeaten 34 off 20 balls to take the total to a respectable 149 for seven.
South Africa’s women had never played at Eden Park, which was using a drop-in pitch, and for much of their innings it showed as they endured a sluggish power-play and a slow mid-section before Reyneke gave the innings an explosive finish with 19 runs, including two driven sixes and a pulled four coming off the final over from Jess Kerr.
Wolvaardt had won the toss and taken first strike, but it was the White Ferns who dominated early on with pace bowler Rosemary Mair yorking Tazmin Brits for a duck with her second delivery. Fellow opener Sune Luus followed immediately afterwards, bowled leg stump while attempting a scoop.
Wolvaardt, who had a scratchy start, and Annerie Dercksen then put together the biggest partnership of the innings, 51 in 35 balls, as they looked to rebuild the innings. Dercksen was in fluent form, cracking two fours and two sixes in her 18-ball 27 before she was bowled by a superb delivery from Devine that moved away off the seam, just clipping her off-stump.
The South African innings then slowed again, with no boundaries between the 11th and the 16th over and three wickets being lost for 18 runs in three overs. Wolvaardt was steady rather than spectacular, striking 37 in 39 balls before she was brilliantly run out by an Amelia Kerr direct hit at mid-off as she attempted a tight single.
Devine and Jess Kerr claimed a couple of wickets each in a largely disciplined New Zealand bowling performance that often targeted the leg side, a tactic that throttled South Africa’s momentum until Reyneke’s arrival at the crease with the youngster bashing two fours and three sixes in her cameo.
Wolvaardt was full of praise for the 20-year-old Capetonian. “She hits the ball with such power. It’s awesome to see.”
NEW ZEALAND: Georgia Plimmer, Izzy Gaze (wk), Amelia Kerr (capt), Sophie Devine, Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Izzy Sharp, Suzie Bates, Jess Kerr, Lea Tahuhu, Rosemary Mair
SOUTH AFRICA: Sune Luus, Tazmin Brits, Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Annerie Dercksen, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Kayla Reyneke, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Ayabonga Khaka, Ayanda Hlubi, Nonkululeko Mlaba