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Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu were part of the White Ferns team beaten by the West Indies in the semifinal in 2016. One of their teammates that day, Katey Martin, who is commentating on the tournament in Dubai, described that loss as “the one that got away”.
If South Africa feel they have a huge opportunity beneath the bright lights of the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, then New Zealand is no different.
“They will bring a lot of fight and a lot of character,” Chloe Tryon said on Saturday.
There’ll be plenty of skill too. While Nonkululeko Mlaba has been one of the stars of the Proteas’ run to the final, taking 10 wickets in the tournament, she’s been outdone by the brilliant leg-spinner Amelia Kerr, who’s picked up 12.
The last of those was the timely dismissal of Deandra Dottin in Friday’s semifinal. New Zealand were far from their best in the field in that match, dropping five catches, but the resilience they showed, with Kerr and fellow spinner Eden Carson, at the forefront, illustrated the threats that await the Proteas on Sunday.
“We are playing against a quality side. To combat them we want to make sure we are proactive. They have bowled really well in the tournament, so we don’t want to get bogged down, we have to stay busy. It’s what we did in the semi, and we want to do the same tomorrow,” said Tryon.
South Africa has weapons that will worry New Zealand too. Mlaba is one, but getting through new ball spells from Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka is a challenge many of the Proteas’ opponents have struggled with in the tournament.