Maddy Green and Brook Halliday (PhotosportNZ)
New Zealand Women’s National Cricket Team vs South Africa Women’s National Cricket Team Match Scorecard: A series-decider worthy of its name unfolded in front of the viewers as the White Ferns completed an epic turnaround to secure a 2-1 series victory, defeating South Africa Women by 66 runs in the third and final ODI at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Saturday. Notably, this happened post a disastrous start (3/3), as the hosts rallied behind the fabulous Maddy Green and Brook Halliday to post a formidable 306/7 before bundling out the Proteas for 240.
After winning the toss and inviting the hosts to bat first, the South African pair of Tumi Sekhukhune and Ayanda Hlubi brought down the New Zealand top order in the first three overs. The batting mainstays – Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, and Amelia Kerr were all dismissed for ducks, leaving the scoreboard tottering at 3/3.
Nonetheless, Maddy Green and Brooke Halliday achieved an impressive partnership for the home team. Green delivered a brilliant performance in counter-attacking cricket, securing an unbeaten century to stabilize the innings. Bolstered by Halliday’s pivotal half-century and late contributions from the lower order, the White Ferns completely changed the narrative, accumulating a score of 306 in their designated 50 overs.
South Africa started the pursuit steadily, scoring 48/0 during the Powerplay. Captain Laura Wolvaardt appeared in great form, making an elegant 50 off 52 deliveries. At 145/2 in the 26th over, with Wolvaardt and Annerie Dercksen (a partnership of 77) batting, South Africa seemed to have a strong grip on the necessary run rate.
The pivotal moment occurred when Dercksen was removed in the 27th over. Her exit caused a middle-order breakdown that the Proteas were unable to bounce back from. Rosemary Mair was the leading bowler, dismantling the South African batting order to finish with impressive figures of 5-50.
From 145/2, South Africa collapsed to 240 all out in 46.1 overs. Even with a short, late effort from Chloe Tryon (29), the steady loss of wickets kept New Zealand in control. The 66-run triumph secured the series 2-1 for the White Ferns, highlighting a notable recovery after being defeated in the first match.
Brief Scores:
New Zealand Women: 306/7 in 50 overs (Maddy Green 100*, Brooke Halliday 60+; Tumi Sekhukhune 3-45)
South Africa Women: 240 all-out in 46.1 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 50, Annerie Dercksen 45; Rosemary Mair 5-50)
Result: New Zealand Women won by 66 runs.
Player of the Match & Series: Maddy Green
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