Before the teams arrived at the Seddon Park in Hamilton, it was evidently clear what lay in front of both teams. South Africa needed another win, having already clinched the series to clean-sweep their opponents.
White Ferns, however, were fighting for a different cause; a victory here might have meant a consolation one but would’ve avoided the ignominy of a whitewash.
But it was never to be for Devine’s New Zealand as South Africa comfortably wrapped up the series, clinching a 6-wicket win in the final ODI of the 3-match series.
Yet another game and yet another occasion where the home team batted first, the White Ferns, however, only going as far as putting 149 on the board, it was clear that it wasn’t going to be enough to counter -the Proteas Women, playing with the kind of conviction and form that evaded the hosts.
When the Proteas women rounded up their opponents for a paltry score, what was perhaps unmissable in the feat was the sheer margin of deliveries that were left in New Zealand’s batting.
With another 11.5 overs remaining in their inning, surely the fans, as well as the home team, would’ve been disappointed at having been cleared up right at the start of the 39th over.
You wondered what might have happened if New Zealand would’ve soldiered on, posting some more runs on the board? But was that even possible given the fine touch Proteas women bowled with, Kapp and Ismail, and later, the wrecker-in-chief Sune Luus trailblazing a fantastic bowling effort!
That said, what were the defining moments of the final ODI between SAW v NZW 2020 series?
Sune Luus rips through the middle order
The game appears a different contest between the bat and the ball when Sune Luus gets going.
The 24-year-old talismanic leg-spinning all-rounder was in ominous touch with the white ball, as she claimed a fantastic 6 for 45, giving no chance whatsoever to the dangerous Kiwi batters to recover in a game where quite frankly, not a lot went the hosts’ way.
In clearing up the middle-order, taking the key wickets of Perkins, Martin, the Kerr sisters, Jensen and the precious big scalp of Suzie Bates, Luus registered the 5th five-wicket haul of her career, as she recorded her personal best figures against the White Ferns during SAW vs NZW 3rd ODI 2020.
In so doing, the vital cog in the Protea bowling line-up emerged as the first woman to take 2 6-wicket hauls in ODI cricket, a dazzling feat.
Suné Luus is the first woman to take two 6-wicket hauls in ODIs, a remarkable feat that would inspire awe from any opponent.
Mignon du Preez emerged undefeated yet again
One of the seasoned campaigners for the rampaging Proteas women, ever-dependable middle-order mainstay Mignon du Preez led the team in its run-chase, top-scoring courtesy an important 35 off 47 deliveries.
Arriving into the middle at a time the team had lost the key wickets of Lee and Luus, who came in at the crucial number 3, the experienced du Preez batted on and crafted 6 fluent boundaries in remaining unbeaten for the third consecutive time in the series.
First, her stand with Wolvaardt would keep the scoring afloat and later, she’d hold her ground in guiding the team to do the needful alongside the experienced Kapp, who remained unbeaten on 16.
What’s impressive is that du Preez- 3,239 ODI career runs- remained unbeaten in all games, contributing with another fine effort, an identical score of 35, repeating her feat from the previous game in Auckland.
Familiar batting struggles for NZ continue
You understood the woeful batting form of the White Ferns when the openers, once again, departed without much trouble for the scorers.
Any chances, whatsoever, of the Kiwi openers getting off to a fine start, were expunged when Ismail and Kapp stuck to their customary tight line in their early spells putting enough pressure on the hosts.
At 14 for 2 inside the first 7 overs, the openers squandered an opportunity to consolidate, in a bid to solidify the Kiwi scoring.
Lauren Down and Maddy Green were on their way for 7 and 5, respectfully, Kapp and Ismail picking a wicket apiece after applying early pressure on an already desperate looking line up that couldn’t keep the Proteas’ attacking bowling at bay.
But make no mistake.
This was a line-up that featured some dangerous names in the women’s game.
While Suzie Bates seemed the only batswoman who could put on a fight, not a surprise, given the wealth of experience and solid match-winning record, the White Ferns didn’t get the support they would’ve expected from the likes of Katie Perkins, Sophie Devine, two renowned scorers who got off to a start but didn’t quite succeed in converting it into anything substantial.
Katie Martin- 77 matches, 1374 runs, 6 fifties- made 25 off 46, was the second-highest score in a line up where Bates’ 51 emerged the most scored by any batter.
In the previous game too, Martin was the second-highest scorer for her side, behind Bates’ 38 off 60 as the keeper batswoman made 19 off her team’s 115 runs.
Sophie Devine arrived early and tried to defuse the pressure, her side already struggling at 14 for 2, when the White Ferns lost both openers. But her 24(off 37), following on her scores of 9 off 19 in the previous game, and the 27 off 31 in the series-opener, could only do little to contribute to the low output.
What undermined the White Ferns’ chances of securing that elusive win was the poor form suffered by the exquisitely talented Amelia Kerr, who could only score a 12 off 1Previously, scores 0 of 6, and 6 of 10 in the second and first game, respectively, lend evidence of her struggle to get going throughout the series.
Lee and Wolvaardt get the team off safely
Well, another day and another handy effort by the Proteas women in the batting column.
Usually, the narrative becomes a one-sided story, regardless of what score the Proteas are up against, when someone like a Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt get going.
Just like the way they did in the series opener, just the way they did in getting the team off to a sound start posting 40 in the opening stand in this last SAW vs NZW.
Lizelle Lee made a stroke-filled 20 off 23, including 4 boundaries while Wolvaardt contributed with a watchful 26 off 51. But even when Jess Kerr and captain Devine affected the wickets of the promising Protea openers, getting Lee, and Wolvaardt, respectively, the scoreboard had already reached 60 from 15 overs.
With another 90 needed from 210 balls, it was a miracle that was to change the course of the contest in the White Ferns’ favor.
But captain van Niekerk had a good game, scoring a quick 30 off 40, including 1 big hit over the fence as with someone like Mignon du Preez at the other end, the run-chase became evidently simple.
Previously, whilst bowling, it was Niekerk who, in her tight spell of 10-overs-33 runs- and a wicket removed the captain in SAW vs NZW 3rd ODI 2020.
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