South Africa, on Monday (October 6), beat New Zealand by 6 wickets to open their account in the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.
It was a much-needed victory for them after the humiliating 10-wicket loss against England in their first game of the competition. South Africa were bundled for just 69 runs before England chased down the total inside 15 overs without losing a wicket.
New Zealand, on the other hand, remains winless after two games. They began their campaign with an 89-run loss against Australia before going down against South Africa at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.
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Clinical South Africa get off the mark:
After the heavy loss in their first match of the World Cup, South Africa bounced back in style as they delivered a clinical all-round performance against New Zealand. Both batters and bowlers enjoyed an impressive outing to power their team to an important victory.
New Zealand captain Sophie Devine opted to bat first on a good batting pitch. However, the New Zealand batters could not capitalise on the condition as their team was all out for 231 runs. Marizanne Kapp gave South Africa a solid start by dismissing Suzie Bates for a duck on the very first delivery of the match.
Georgia Plimmer (31 off 68) and Amelia Kerr (23 off 42) steadied the ship but could not score at a healthy rate as New Zealand chewed up as many as 48 dot balls in the powerplay. Devine and Brooke Halliday then upped the ante by adding 86 runs from 75 balls for the fourth wicket.
Kiwis suffer a batting collapse
New Zealand were on 187/4 in the 39th over when Halliday departed for 45 runs. They were looking destined to post a big total but Halliday’s dismissal triggered a collapse as New Zealand lost seven wickets for 44 runs in 59 balls.
Devine scored 85 runs but could not power her team to a big score. For South Africa, left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba had an impressive outing as she took 4 wickets.
In reply, South Africa chased down the total inside 41 overs thanks to a brilliant century from Tazmin Brits. The opening batter scored 101 runs off just 89 balls. After captain Laura Wolvaardt departed for just 14 runs, Brits and Sune Luus batted New Zealand out of the match by adding 159 runs for the second wicket.
The partnership was broken when Lea Tahuhu castled Brits. The likes of Kapp and Anneke Bosch also departed in quick succession but Luus stayed till the end, scoring an unbeaten 83 to take her team home.
New Zealand vs South Africa – Brief score:
New Zealand 231 (47.5 overs): Sophie Devine 85 (98); Nonkululeko Mlaba 4-40
South Africa 234-4 (40.5 overs): Tazmin Brits 101 (89), Sune Luus 83* (114)
