• Masabata Klaas and Nadine de Klerk helped South Africa register a series-levelling win over New Zealand in the fifth and final game of the T20I series.

  • Masabata Klaas was adjudged 'Player of the Match', while Amelia Kerr won the 'Player of the Series' award.

SA-W vs NZ-W: Masabata Klaas, Nadine de Klerk guide South Africa to series-levelling win over New Zealand in the 5th T20I
Masabata Klaas, Nadine de Klerk guide South Africa to a series-levelling victory over New Zealand (Image Source: Twitter)

South Africa Women locked horns with New Zealand Women in the fifth and final T20I of the five-match series on October 15. The match took place at Willowmoore Park and saw the Proteas side emerge victorious against the White Ferns by a margin of 11 runs in a thrilling contest.

Tazmin Brits power South Africa Women to a competitive total

Asked to bat first, South Africa Women put up a competitive total of 155/5 in their allotted 20 overs. Tazmin Brits led the charge with 45 runs off 38 deliveries, including five fours and one six. Sune Luus also contributed 36 runs off 23 balls. Meanwhile, Laura Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch scored 24 and 28 runs to set a solid foundation for their team.

Molly Penfold was the pick of the New Zealand Women’s bowlers, taking two wickets for 27 runs in the three overs she bowled. Lea Tahuhu also impressed with two wickets, conceding only 20 runs in her four overs.

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Amelia Kerr’s efforts in vain

Chasing a target of 156 for victory, New Zealand Women managed to reach 144/8 in their allotted 20 overs, falling 11 runs short of the set target. Amelia Kerr played a fantastic innings and scored fiery 61 runs off 47 balls, including nine boundaries. Suzie Bates contributed 45 runs from 42 deliveries, but their efforts weren’t quite enough to secure the win.

Masabata Klaas was the star for South Africa Women, taking three wickets for 26 runs in her three overs. Nadine de Klerk also played a crucial role, picking up three wickets for 24 runs.

The ‘Player of the Match’ award was rightfully earned by Masabata for her brilliant performance with the ball, securing crucial wickets and contributing to South Africa’s victory. On the other hand, Kerr won the ‘Player of the Series’ ward after the match.

Series ends in a draw

With the win, the Proteas Women also avoided a defeat on home soil as the leg ended in a draw (1-1). It is worth noting that the first three games of the series were either abandoned or called off.

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Vishwanath Hariharan is Content Strategist at CricketTimes.com. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. From breaking news stories to in-depth features and opinion pieces, he has covered a wide range of topics. Vishwanath is very fond of watching cricket. Like many others, he too grew up watching, playing, and imitating his favourite players of the game. MS Dhoni is like a demigod to him. You can connect with him at vishwanath.hariharan@crickettimes.com and follow him on Twitter & Linkedin.