New Zealand’s victory in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup was ensured by the stellar performance of Amelia Kerr, who scored 43 runs and took 3 wickets in the final match against South Africa. Kerr credited her inspiration to her older teammates, Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates, who she idolized since watching them in the 2010 tournament. Kerr described how she wrote stories about winning the trophy with Devine and Bates as a schoolgirl, leading her to pursue a career in cricket. The 24-year-old finished the tournament as the leading wicket-taker and received both the Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament awards.
Devine, Bates, and Lea Tahuhu, the elder stateswomen in the team, made significant contributions to the final match, with Devine’s leadership standing out. Despite the team jokingly referring to themselves as “grandmas,” Devine and Bates have a strong bond and have played together in all nine T20 World Cups. New Zealand’s victory marks a significant achievement for the team, especially after enduring 10 consecutive losses before the tournament.
The victory was a momentous occasion for New Zealand’s cricketing history, with the women’s team winning their first-ever World Cup in the shortest format. The team will split a prize fund of $2.3 million, providing a life-changing windfall for the players. With the men’s team also celebrating a historic win on the same day, the success marked one of New Zealand’s finest moments in cricket. Devine hopes that the victory will inspire the next generation of cricketers, both boys and girls, to take up the sport.
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