T20 World Cup final: All you need to know

Match Facts

Who: South Africa v New Zealand

When: Sunday October 20, 6pm local time (Coin toss on October 21 at 12.30am AEST, first ball at 1am AEST)

Where: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates

How to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Officials: Claire Polosak and Nimali Perera (standing), Anna Harris (third), Jacqueline Williams (fourth)

Live scores: T20 World Cup final, South Africa v New Zealand

How to watch

The new era for watching World Cup cricket in Australia continues.

All 23 matches of the tournament will be shown live on Amazon's Prime Video online subscription streaming service after the internet giant recently acquired the Aussie broadcast rights for all ICC events for the next four years. There is no free-to-air Australian broadcast of this World Cup as a result.

You can sign up to Prime Video by clicking here.

How to recap

If you can’t catch the match live, you can catch on demand highlights packages on Prime Video.

The rest of the information you need will be right here on cricket.com.au: scores, recaps, interviews and highlights will all review what took place and keep you informed on the key takeaways. 

The squads

South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Mieke de Ridder, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Suné Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Seshnie Naidu, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloé Tryon. Travelling Reserve: Miané Smit

Players used: 11

New Zealand: Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Leigh Kasperek, Jess Kerr, Melie Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu 

Players used: 13

Possible starting XIs

South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka

South Africa are a very settled outfit, having fielded the same XI in all five matches this tournament. Four of those five games were played at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, and it seems unlikely they would mess with a winning formula for the final.

New Zealand: Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (c), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Izzy Gaze (wk), Rosemary Mair, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson, Fran Jonas

New Zealand made various changes to their bowling attack throughout the group depending on conditions and match-ups, with quick Jess Kerr and spinners Fran Jonas and Leigh Kasperek rotating in and out of the XI, while speedsters Rosemary Mair and Lea Tahuhu have been staples alongside star allrounder Amelia Kerr and off-spinner Eden Carson.

Local knowledge

South Africa should be feeling happily at home at the ground, with each of their three group stage wins coming at the venue before their famous semi-final win over tournament favourites Australia.

New Zealand split their group matches 2-2 between the venues, but won both of their games in Dubai. First up was a 58-run upset win over India that kickstarted their run to the final, while their final group game win over Pakistan sealed their spot in the semis.

Players to watch

Amelia Kerr has been brilliant with the ball, taking 12 wickets and maintaining an economy of 4.6 in five matches. She's the leader of a handy trio of spinners alongside Eden Carson and Fran Jonas, who will be pivotal in this final.

The leadership of Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates will be essential in keeping their younger players calm on the big stage, as they are only two players to have featured in a T20 World Cup final before. 

Meanwhile, South African openers Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits sit first and second respectively on the runs tally and have so far been the tournament's most productive pair, scoring 262 runs at an average of 65.5.

Marizanne Kapp will be the key with the ball in the Powerplay and has enjoyed a superb tournament, bowling 71 dot balls in the campaign and logging a bowling dot ball rate of 65.7 per cent.

Road to the semi-finals

Past 10 T20 matches, most recent first. W: win, L: loss, N: no result 

South Africa: WWWLWWLWLNR

South Africa have won five of their last six T20Is. Their only loss of the group stage was against England, in Sharjah. Prior to their arrival in the UAE, they claimed a 2-1 T20I series win over Pakistan, and drew a series 1-1 against India.  

New Zealand: WWWLWLLLLL

The White Ferns started their tournament with a massive win over India that snapped a 10-game losing streak. A heavy defeat to Australia followed, but they rallied to see off Sri Lanka and Pakistan and seal their first T20 World Cup semi-final berth since 2016 – and then their first final since 2010.

Best T20 World Cup result

South Africa: Runners-up (2023)

New Zealand: Runners-up (2009, 2010)

ICC T20I Rankings

South Africa: 6th; New Zealand: 4th 

Last time they met

South Africa hosted New Zealand in a five-game T20I series in October 2023, but unfortunately little cricket was played with the first three games in East London washed out.

When the series moved to Benoni the weather improved, and New Zealand took out the fourth T20I after Amelia Kerr (70no) and Sophie Devine (61no) chased down the Proteas’ 4-172.

South Africa hit back to level the series in the final game, with Tazmin Brits top-scoring in their 5-155, and another half-century from Kerr was not enough as the Kiwis were kept to 8-144.

Head-to-head

Played: 16

 

South Africa wins: 4

 

New Zealand wins: 11

 

No result: 1

It seems unlikely… but what if it rains?

The good news is there is currently no rain forecast for Dubai, which has consistently produced temperatures in the high 30s Celsius since the tournament started. But in the very unlikely event of wet weather, there are provisions for a reserve day in the ICC's tournament playing conditions. A minimum 10 overs a side are required to constitute a match in the final. – if that isn't possible, joint winners would be declared.

And what happens if it's a tie? 

If the final is tied, the teams shall compete in a Super Over. And if the Super Over is a tie, subsequent Super Overs will be played until a winner is determined.

If weather conditions or other circumstances prevent the Super Over from being completed on the scheduled day or reserve day, joint winners would be declared.

Rapid stats

• South Africa are the fourth side to qualify for consecutive finals in women’s T20 World Cup history after New Zealand (2009 and 2010), Australia (2010 to 2023) and England (2012 and 2014).
  
  
• This will be New Zealand’s third women’s T20 World Cup final, after having reached this stage previously in 2009 and 2010 and lost on both occasions.
  
  
• This will the first ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final since 2010 with both the teams not having won the tournament.
  
  
• Three out of four wins for New Zealand at this tournament have come while batting first, while they successfully chased against Sri Lanka. The White Ferns have won each of their last eight T20 World Cup games when batting first.
  
  
• New Zealand bowlers have averaged 13.5 during the powerplay this tournament, the best such aggregate among all teams in the competition with South Africa ranked second at an average of 15. The Proteas, meanwhile, have bowled at an economy rate of 4.5 in the powerplay, the lowest among all teams in the tournament and 0.43 runs an over better than the White Ferns in third place (4.93).
  
  
• South Africa have scored 58.4% of all their powerplay runs at this tournament through boundaries.
  
  
• Georgia Plimmer has scored 141 runs, the most by any New Zealand batter in the tournament and the most by any White Ferns batter in a single edition of the tournament since Suzie Bates scored 161 in 2018.
  
  
• New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr (12) is two wickets away from becoming the bowler with the most wickets in a single ICC Women’s T20 World Cup (Anya Shrubsole and Megan Schutt – 13 each in 2014 and 2020 respectively).
  
  
• New Zealand’s Eden Carson has picked up six wickets during the powerplay in ICC Women’s World Cup 2024, the highest among all players in the tournament and twice as many as any other spinner in this phase of the innings.

2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup

Finals

October 17: Semi-final 1: South Africa beat Australia by eight wickets

October 18: Semi-final 2: New Zealand beat West Indies by eight runs

October 20: Final: South Africa v New Zealand, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 21 AEDT

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