Cricket
Superb Devine steers White Ferns to series lead against Proteas─── MORGAN PIEK 09:35 Fri, 20 Mar 2026
The White Ferns have taken a 2–1 lead in the T20 International series after beating the Proteas Women by six wickets in Auckland on Friday.
South Africa won the toss and opted to bat first in the third T20I. However, they could only muster 149/7 in their allotted 20 overs after another fairly underwhelming showing with the willow.
Captain Laura Wolvaardt top-scored with 37 off 39 balls, while the 20-year-old all-rounder Kayla Reyneke once again provided late fireworks, smashing 34 off 20 deliveries, including two fours and three sixes. Annerie Dercksen chipped in with a lively 27 off 18, while Chloe Tryon was the only other batter to reach double figures with 15.
Veteran Suzie Bates was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers with superb figures of 2/10, while fellow stalwart Sophie Devine claimed 2/21.
In reply, Devine led from the front with a composed 55* off 38 balls, steering the chase with authority. Maddy Green added an unbeaten 34, while captain Amelia Kerr contributed 30, as New Zealand reached the target with eight balls to spare.
Dercksen impressed with the ball as well, returning 1/17, while Nonkululeko Mlaba picked up 1/20 and Ayanda Hlubi finished with 1/31.
Dangerous Nadine de Klerk was dismissed for 8 by Sophie Devine. Photo: Cricinfo
Young all-rounder Reyneke admitted the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow, with South Africa ultimately leaving themselves short with the bat and not quite executing with the ball.
“It’s a tough loss to take. With the bat, we probably didn’t execute well enough in the middle overs, and New Zealand built a strong partnership towards the end,” said Reyneke, who has been one of South Africa’s standout performers on tour.
“With the ball, we lost it a bit at the death. We just missed our lengths slightly – maybe a touch too short – and that cost us.
Sophie Devine led the White Ferns to victory with a superb 55*. Photo: Cricinfo
“We were probably about 20 to 30 runs short. In T20 cricket these days, 160-plus is generally around par. The middle phase with the bat is crucial, and that’s an area where we didn’t quite get it right.
“We’ll take the lessons from this and look ahead to the next game to see where we can improve.” The fourth T20 International will be played on Sunday in Wellington, with play scheduled to get underway at 03:45.
