Sophie Devine’s unbeaten 55 runs, along with her strong bowling performance, propelled New Zealand to a six-wicket triumph over South Africa in the third T20I at Eden Park. This victory gave New Zealand a 2-1 series lead with two matches remaining.
In the match, South Africa, choosing to bat first, managed to score 149/7, with Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates each taking two wickets. New Zealand successfully chased down the target in 18.4 overs, led by Devine’s half-century, supported by Amelia Kerr (30) and Maddy Green (34).
South Africa faced early struggles in their innings, losing two wickets within three overs. Annerie Dercksen and skipper Laura Wolvaardt steadied the innings with a 51-run partnership for the third wicket. However, Sophie Devine’s crucial wicket broke the partnership, leading to South Africa being at 101/5 in 15 overs.
Kayla Reyneke’s late flourish with 34 not out off 20 deliveries helped South Africa reach 149/7. In response, New Zealand lost early wickets but a resilient 84-run unbeaten partnership between Sophie Devine and Maddy Green secured the victory with six wickets in hand and eight balls to spare.
