On October 20 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Sophie Devine-led New Zealand created history as they won their maiden T20 World Cup title. New Zealand were not the favourites coming into the tournament having lost 10 T20Is in a row. But they turned it around in their campaign opener with a 58-run win over Harmanpreet Kaur-led India at the same venue. Sophie feels that the win against India by a comfortable margin set the tone for them.
"It's really hard to pinpoint one moment or one game. Probably most recently is that India game though. I think that was probably the most complete performance we've had since the World Cup in South Africa and everything did come together and, as I said, it showed that belief and confidence in this group and to put it together and to know that we could do it,” Sophie said in the post-match press conference.
"I think was a massive moment for us and helped us on our journey to being here tonight with this in front of us. So hard to pinpoint because there's so much that goes into it. I mean everyone thinks about the games but it's the work that goes on behind the scenes that a lot of people don't see. But yeah, I think if you're talking about performances, that India one probably set the tone for us," she added.
New Zealand’s journey in World Cup
After beating India, New Zealand suffered a 60-run defeat at the hands of defending champions Australia led by Alyssa Healy. But New Zealand ensured they progress to the next stage with comprehensive wins over New Zealand and Pakistan at the group stage level. In the semi-final, they were tested by West Indies but won the contest by eight runs. In the final, it was a rather comfortable win by 32 runs over South Africa to win the title.
Sophie’s last World Cup as captain
This was 35-year-old Sophie's last World Cup as captain. In the final, she could do much with the bat and scored six runs from 10 balls. However, her tactics did not let South Africa make a comeback in the run chase despite a good start from the openers. When Chloe Tryon was looking to hit big with required run rate climbing up, she introduced Brooke Halliday who bowled just one over and got the crucial wicket of Sune Luus to rule out any possibility of a comeback.
