Teams, time: South Africa vs New Zealand – Women’s T20 World Cup final

Who: South Africa vs New Zealand
What: Final, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024
When: Sunday, October 20, 6pm (14:00 GMT)
Where: Dubai International Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
How to follow: Al Jazeera’s unrecorded substance sum begins astatine 10:30 GMT

Whatever the effect successful Dubai connected Sunday, determination volition beryllium a caller sanction connected the trophy erstwhile New Zealand enactment up against South Africa successful the last of the Women’s T20 World Cup.

Australia’s dominance implicit the years, winning six of the 8 erstwhile tournaments, has restricted the opportunities for anyone else. Only England, successful the inaugural tourney of 2009, and West Indies successful 2016 person seen them off. The Australians person besides appeared successful 7 of the 8 finals – not to beryllium this clip aft South Africa’s ascendant semifinal victory connected Thursday.

It promises to beryllium a fitting finale to a contention that has produced immoderate fantabulous – and immoderate middling – cricket aft it was switched astatine abbreviated announcement to the United Arab Emirates pursuing governmental unrest successful Bangladesh wherever it was owed to instrumentality place.

Apart from bringing caller involvement to the women’s game, Sunday’s last volition besides pit the 2 sides that person played the canniest and astir courageous cricket during the competition. Unlike others, they person besides mostly held their catches, though the White Ferns did marque beingness much awkward for themselves successful their semifinal triumph against the West Indies by dropping Deandra Dottin twice. Not galore teams get distant with that.

After making conscionable 128-9, which adjacent connected a dilatory Sharjah transportation felt 10 to 15 runs short, the Kiwis defended that full superbly against a batting lineup which, arsenic England recovered to their discomfort successful their winner-takes-all radical match, takes nary prisoners.

Amelia Kerr, the starring wicket-taker for the tourney with 12, and Eden Carson bowled superbly, starring skipper Sophie Devine to look optimistically towards the final. “We are truly excited astir the final. We person thing to suffer and that is simply a large abstraction to be,” said Devine who was successful the squad that mislaid to Australia by 3 runs successful the 2010 final, the second of New Zealand’s 2 erstwhile finals. “We are going to triumph this happening now.”

Laura Wolvaardt volition anticipation to enactment South Africa’s decision successful the erstwhile last down them erstwhile they look New Zealand connected Sunday [Francois Nel/Getty Images]

She is much than aware, however, of the dangers presented by a South African broadside that went adjacent past year, losing to Australia by 19 runs successful the last successful Cape Town. The Proteas besides bowled the White Ferns retired for 67 successful that variation to triumph by 65 runs successful their group-stage encounter.

“They are an unthinkable side,” said Devine, picking retired skipper Laura Wolvaardt, the evergreen all-rounder Marizanne Kapp and fig 3 batter Anneke Bosch, whose stunning 74 not retired led South Africa to their eight-wicket triumph implicit the Australians successful Thursday’s semifinal.

“Laura leads them from the front,” she said. “Kapp is 1 of the champion players successful the satellite (and) Bosch successful the crippled against Australia was superb. But we person to absorption connected ourselves, and anticipation the cricketing gods are connected our broadside arsenic well.”

The South Africans person besides grown successful the past 12 months with that trio of players astatine the forefront of the batting portion Nonkululeko Mlaba, adjacent second-highest wicket-taker with 10, has led the bowling onslaught with beardown backing, particularly from Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka.

“I’m conscionable incredibly arrogant of everyone and the squad and conscionable the mode that we approached this full World Cup and however we’ve played throughout,” said Bosch aft her match-winning knock. “I deliberation we benignant of said we haven’t played our champion crippled yet and astir apt inactive haven’t. But hopefully we’re leaving it for the finals now.”

South Africa vs New Zealand: Head-to-head record

The teams person faced each different 15 times successful T20 matches since 2005. South Africa enjoyed an 8-7 vantage implicit New Zealand successful that time.

South Africa’s champion effect astatine T20 World Cups

Runners-up: 2023

New Zealand’s champion effect astatine T20 World Cups

Runners-up: 2009, 2010

Form guide: South Africa

South Africa tempest into the last arsenic the lone squad to person beaten Australia this year. First, erstwhile they bowled retired the champions for 149 successful a one-day planetary successful February, and past successful Thursday’s semifinal.

The Proteas person mislaid 1 crippled successful the tourney and won an distant T20 bid against Pakistan.

Last 5 matches: W W W L W

Form guide: New Zealand

The White Ferns opened their World Cup run with a triumph implicit pre-tournament favourites India, and closed their radical signifier by knocking them retired with a triumph implicit Pakistan. Their lone nonaccomplishment successful the tourney came against the broadside South Africa defeated successful the archetypal semifinal, the defending champions Australia.

Last 5 matches: W W W L W

Toss and transportation conditions

Teams winning the flip person chosen to bat archetypal successful 5 of the 9 games played successful Dubai during this tourney with the blistery upwind apt affecting the decision.

However, South Africa, having won the flip and fielded, bring the cognition of Thursday’s triumph against Australia into the match.

India’s 172-3 triumph against Sri Lanka remains the highest full astatine the venue though it has besides produced a fig of low-scoring encounters.

Weather forecast

Heat volition proceed to play a relation successful the last contempt the evening start. The somesthesia volition hover astatine astir 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), and the forecast for 50 percent humidity volition marque the conditions blistery and sticky for the players.

Team news: South Africa

South Africa are not expected to marque immoderate changes to the broadside that sealed their spot successful the last with a triumph against Australia.

Squad: Laura Wolvaardt (captain, wicketkeeper), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Mieke de Ridder (wicketkeeper), Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta (wicketkeeper), Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Seshnie Naidu, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloe Tryon

Team news: New Zealand

New Zealand person been spared from large injuries to their usual-playing XI and are expected to tract the aforesaid broadside that bushed West Indies successful the semifinal.

Squad: Sophie Devine (captain), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Isabella Gaze (wicketkeeper), Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu.