New Zealand 190 for 7 (Amelia Kerr 78, Plimmer 63, Klaas 2-15, de Klerk 2-32) beat South Africa 110 for 7 (Brits 29, Devine 4-12, Jess Kerr 2-13) by 80 runs
Once the batters laid the platform, New Zealand’s bowlers delivered in style. Jess Kerr struck twice early to break the South African top order, and Sophie Devine ran through the rest of the line-up, claiming four wickets. The win gave New Zealand a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Kerr, Plimmer and massive stand
New Zealand lost Izzy Gaze to a run-out without facing a ball, but for the next 14 overs they dictated terms. Amelia Kerr, fresh from scores of 101 not out and 82 against Zimbabwe, set the tone early with a crisp cover drive for four. She finished with 78, striking 11 fours and two sixes, with 56 of her runs coming in boundaries. Kerr repeatedly pierced the offside field with precise timing while also mixing in innovation, dropping to one knee to clear midwicket and fine leg and scooping deftly over the keeper. A no-ball from Kayla Reyneke in the fourth over – which went for 19 runs – proved costly as Kerr dispatched the free hit over long-on, and she continued to capitalise on anything short or overpitched.
Plimmer – who had missed the Zimbabwe ODIs with a shoulder injury – took time to settle, reaching 37 off her first 32 balls. The momentum shifted after the halfway mark when she lofted Nonkululeko Mlaba for six and followed it up with two more off Chloe Tryon in the 13th over.
South Africa struck with the first ball of the day but things only got worse•Getty Images
Klaas and SA’s fightback
Barring Masabata Klaas, most of South Africa’s bowlers struggled to find their lengths on a flat track, something Plimmer and Amelia Kerr exploited with ease. Captain Laura Wolvaardt used as many as eight bowlers in the first nine overs, but only Klaas consistently troubled the batters with her clever variations. Spinners Chloe Tryon, Reyneke and Nonkululeko Mlaba leaked 74 runs in six overs for just one wicket, often missing their lines and bowling outside off.
However, South Africa fought back well at the death to keep New Zealand below 200, claiming the last six wickets for 44 runs after the early damage from Plimmer and Amelia Kerr. Klaas, who had conceded just four runs in her first two overs, returned in the 14th to remove Kerr with a well-disguised legcutter. She struck again in her next over with another slower ball to dismiss Brooke Halliday, finishing as the standout bowler with figures of 4-0-15-2.
SA never get going
South Africa were never really in the chase. They lost both openers Sune Luus and Laura Wolvaardt to Jess Kerr in the fourth over and managed just 19 runs in the powerplay. The scoring rate continued to struggle after the field spread against a disciplined New Zealand attack. Tazmin Brits stayed at the crease for 35 balls but that amounted to just 29 runs as the visitors either over-hit or mistimed deliveries.
South Africa collapsed in the middle overs, losing five wickets for 57 runs, which effectively ended any hopes of a chase. The difference was also evident in the bowling. According to ESPNcricinfo, South Africa bowled 35 back-of-a-length deliveries, conceding 55 runs, whereas New Zealand delivered just 21 similar balls for 24 runs. New Zealand also relied on slower balls and yorkers to take wickets when the pitch slowed, highlighting better awareness of the conditions on offer.
Devine was the star with the ball, perfectly executing her pace-off deliveries and providing crucial breakthroughs. She began with a tidy three-run over, removed Tryon in the 12th over, kept Brits quiet before dismissing her in the 15th over, and returned in the 19th to pick up two more wickets. Her figures of 4 for 12 were the best of her T20I career.
Bates the bowler
Suzie Bates returned to the New Zealand XI for the first time since October, after recovering from a quadriceps injury. Though she had said she would bat lower down the order, Bates did not get a chance in the first T20I, with New Zealand sending out Halliday, Maddy Green and Izzy Sharp.
However, Bates was given the ball in the second over. She started with a wide and conceded six runs and returned in the 14th over and finished with figures of 0 for 17. While this is just the start, we could see more of Bates with the ball than the bat in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup in June, as New Zealand explore her as a key bowling option.
Srinidhi Ramanujam is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo