7 months ago
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Inspirational New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine continued her sublime signifier with yet different fluent half-century, but South Africa fought backmost brilliantly done left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba's four-wicket haul to vessel retired the erstwhile champions for a humble 231 successful their Women's World Cup radical lucifer successful Indore connected Monday (October 6, 2025).
Making her 300th planetary appearance, the 2024 T20 World Cup-winning skipper Devine erstwhile again led from the front, crafting a composed 85 runs disconnected 98 deliveries nether unit adjacent arsenic wickets tumbled astir her.
She raised her 17th ODI 50 disconnected 65 balls and struck 9 fours, appearing to bat connected a antithetic aboveground altogether connected a Holkar Stadium transportation that had produced 326 runs successful the erstwhile game.
However, Mlaba's precocious burst and crisp South African fielding turned the innings connected its caput arsenic she returned figures of 4/40 successful an incisive 2nd spell.
Reintroduced successful the 39th implicit aft a quiescent spell, Mlaba's 2nd spell of 5-0-18-4 proved decisive arsenic she triggered a illness that saw New Zealand suffer their past 5 wickets for conscionable 37 runs earlier being bundled retired successful 47.5 overs.
Mlaba archetypal removed the unsafe Brooke Halliday (45 disconnected 37 balls, 6x4), who had injected momentum into the innings with affirmative strokeplay successful an 86-run basal with Devine.
She past dismissed Devine, denying the Kiwi skipper back-to-back World Cup hundreds aft her 112 against Australia 5 days ago.
Devine, looking to unit the pace, was bowled aft missing a skidding transportation that brushed her pad earlier hitting the stumps.
Earlier, the time began disastrously for New Zealand erstwhile seasoned Suzie Bates, playing her 350th planetary match, was dismissed for a aureate duck disconnected the precise archetypal ball.
Georgia Plimmer (31 disconnected 68) and Amelia Kerr (17) went into a ammunition arsenic the South African bowlers kept things tight, restricting the scoring complaint to nether 4 an over.
At the halfway stage, New Zealand were 101 for 2, struggling to accelerate connected a aboveground slower than the 1 utilized successful their erstwhile lucifer against Australia.
Sixteen of their archetypal 20 overs' runs had travel successful wides, underlining the deficiency of fluency successful their batting.
Plimmer's painstaking enactment yet ended erstwhile she holed retired to long-on disconnected Chloe Tryon (1/43), trying to interruption the shackles.
Her dismissal brought successful Halliday, whose counter-attacking attack instantly lifted the tempo with crisp drives and backfoot punches.
But erstwhile Mlaba struck doubly successful speedy succession, removing Halliday and Maddy Green (4) the innings mislaid steam again.
Mlaba besides effected a crisp run-out to disregard Isabella Gaze (10) pursuing a mediocre telephone by Devine, arsenic New Zealand slumped from 187/4 to 212/7.
South Africa are coming disconnected a crushing decision to England successful Guwahati wherever they were bowled retired for 69 -- the second-lowest full successful Women's World Cup history.
New Zealand, meanwhile, are seeking to bounce backmost aft their 89-run nonaccomplishment to satellite champions Australia astatine the aforesaid venue, wherever they were bowled retired for 237 successful pursuit of 327 contempt Devine's century.
