After a disappointing Women’s T20 World Cup, India Women started the WODI series against New Zealand Women strongly. In the chase, India Women brilliantly dismissed the New Zealand Women skipper Sophie Devine as Deepti Sharma and wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia jointly worked impressively to create a bizarre run out. 

Smriti Mandhana led India team

In the absence of captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana led the Indian women’s team in the first game of the three-match WODI series. After Mandhana won the toss at Ahmedabad, she chose to bat first. India Women scored 227 runs before losing all wickets in 44.3 overs.

In reply, the debutant and right-arm pacer Saima Thakor dismissed the opener Suzie Bates (1) in her first over.    

After dismissing the opener and in-form Georgia Plimmer (25) in the last over of the first powerplay, Deepti Sharma stunned with a brilliant run out in her next over. 

Sophie Devine's bizarre run out

Captain Sophie Devine just came to the crease, who is known to play brilliantly against the spinners. It was the 12th over of the second innings when the visitors were approaching towards the 50 runs. 

On the final ball of the 12th over, Devine played a defensive shot as the ball travelled toward the bowler. Observing the White Ferns skipper was outside the crease, first Sharma waited and then rightly threw the ball towards the keeper Bhatia, who quickly took off the bails. Although Devine was aware of the situation, she wasn’t careful enough. Devine’s foot was on the line, and when her foot crossed the crease, it was too late for her.

Sharp presence of mind produces a big wicket!👌👌

New Zealand lose their third in the chase as Sophie Devine is run-out.

Live - https://t.co/VGGT7lSS13#TeamIndia | #INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/gvANXADVkA

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) October 24, 2024

It was a huge wicket for the Indian team as the White Ferns were suddenly struggling at 46/3. 

Devine is the fourth leading run-scorer for New Zealand Women in the WODI format. In 148 WODIs, the right-handed batter scored 3862 runs with an average of 31.65, including eight centuries and 15 half-centuries. 

After intense and scintillating clashes with the best women's teams in the cricket space, the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup draws its curtains with New Zealand scalping their first-ever title against a promising South African side. In summary of their experience and the emerging players' squad, the White Ferns have surpassed the ten robust arsenals needed to win this tournament after being two-time runners-up.

As mentioned earlier, the tournament has seen the clash of best vs best, with many promising players displaying impeccable calibre and intent. By this, all these players deserve to be a part of one team, which implies their performance. That said, here's the Best Playing XI, the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup edition. 

1.Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa)

Laura Wolvaardt has been the face of South Africa's top-order batting, with her captaincy skills being the cherry on the top. Leading her Proteas side for the first time and leading to their second-consecutive Women's T20 World Cup is no minor deal. Her stint of 223 runs in six matches, with a half-century and an average of over 45, has made her the highest run-scorer of the ninth edition of the tournament.

2. Tazmin Brits (South Africa)

Runners-up South Africa's major positive takeaway would be their batting performance, and it is no surprise that the openers have created the foundation for it. With the opening captain, Laura Wolvaardt, the second opener, also fulfilled the expectations in the form of Tazmin Brits. She helped bolster the batting and gave the team the attacking start desired. In her six-match tournament stint, she has made 187 runs, averaging over 38 and one half-century.

3. Danielle Wyatt-Hodge (England)

Dannielle Wyatt has associated with the women's English side as a reliable run-getter. As it implies, she has helped the side make some runs in their group-stage end run. She has scored 151 runs in just four matches, at a commendable average of over 50.

4. Sophie Devine (New Zealand) (Captain)

New Zealand captain Sophie Devine is one of the few women's cricket circle players representing her national side in all the Women's T20 World Cup tournaments. As an experienced campaigner, Devine ended her captaincy stint on a high by leading their White Ferns side to their first-ever Women's T20 World Cup title. Making her the captain of this Best XI squad is a no-brainer. She has made 116 runs in six matches at an average of over 30 in the tournament.

5. Amelia Kerr (New Zealand)

Amelia Kerr has got her recognition for her all-rounder ability. But, this time, her bowling expertise did the trick for the triumphant New Zealand side in the tournament. Kerr has helped her side scalp crucial wickets at the right game time. Being the highest wicket-taker of the tournament, she has taken 15 wickets in just six matches, with one four-wicket haul and made 135 runs

6. Alyssa Healy (Australia) (Wicketkeeper)

Though Alyssa Healy got injured mid-way through the tournament, Alyssa Healy deserves to be on this list. Dealing with the slow and turning pitches, she has made vital decisions in restricting the opposition batters to minimal scores, considering the intensity of the T20I format. In her short three-match stint, she has made 67 runs but has a noteworthy strike rate and an average of over 145 and 34, respectively.

Also Read: Women's T20 World Cup 2024: Flop Playing XI of the Tournament

7. Afy Fletcher (West Indies)

Though the 2016 West Indies champions couldn't convert a triumph after a stellar performance, Afy Fletcher is one of the players behind the Carribean's side performance. The right-arm leg spinner dominated in the spin-friendly conditions of UAE and scalped ten wickets in just five matches.

8. Annabel Sutherland (Australia)

Annabel Sutherland did her usual business of being the go-to spin option for the Aussies side. Sutherland deserves to be the second-leading spinner, thanks to her performance in the tournament. She has taken nine wickets in five matches, signifying her impact with the ball and spin.

9. Rosemary Mair (New Zealand)

Rosemary Mair from the champion New Zealand side did the trick by delivering quick and pace deliveries to the batters. In just six appearances of the tournament, she has scalped ten wickets at an economy of just five, with one four-wicket haul.

10. Nonukuleko Mlaba (South Africa)

Nonukuleko Mlaba from the South African side would help robusten this Best XI spinmeister's attack. Known for delivering slow, yet confusing and over-the-top deliveries, Mlaba has scalped 12 wickets in just six matches at an economy of just 5.66.

11. Megan Schutt (Australia)

Megan Schutt symbolises consistency for the Women's Australia pace department. She has been an integral part of Australia's seam assault with her huge inswingers and leg cutter as her signature deliveries, which can be vividly seen in her tournament stint. She has taken eight wickets in five outings at a praiseworthy economy of just four.

The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 just ended as New Zealand Women won their first Women’s T20 World Cup trophy. South Africa Women once again finished as the runners-up, which they recorded in two consecutive editions. 

During the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the United Arab Emirates, where ten teams participated and 23 matches were played, we experienced some great performances. 

Here, we are going through the top five performances in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Megan Schutt (Australia Women): 3/3 (vs New Zealand Women) in Group Stage

It was a crucial Group A match between Australia Women and New Zealand Women. After Australia Women chose to bat first at Sharjah, the six-time champions scored 148/8, which was a challenging total. However, the right-arm medium pacer’s disciplined bowling confirmed the no easy breath for the White Ferns batting.

Starting the second innings with a maiden over,  Megan Schutt dismissed New Zealand opener Georgia Plimmer for only four runs in her second over, where she conceded only two runs. The White Ferns never made a comeback in the chasing as the 31-year-old dismissed set Amelia Kerr (29) in the 12th over of the innings, where she conceded only one run. Schutt returned to bowl the final over, where she dismissed Eden Carson (5) on the second delivery to confirm their victory by 60 runs after bundling out New Zealand Women for 88 runs.

Schutt ended the match with the bowling figures of 3.2-1-3-3, where she delivered 18 dot balls. 

Sophie Devine (New Zealand Women): 57 not out (vs India Women) in Group Stage

It was the first match of the tournament for both New Zealand Women and India Women in Group A. After New Zealand Women captain Sophie Devine chose to bat first at Dubai, they scored 55/0 at the end of the powerplay. However, the White Ferns were struggling after the powerplay.

When Amelia Kerr was dismissed in the 14.2 overs, New Zealand Women scored 99/3. It meant that they scored 44 runs from 50 balls in the post-powerplay. However, set-batter Devine played an inspirational innings that helped New Zealand Women manage the first batting total of 160/4.

Although Devine started slowly by scoring six runs off the first 10 balls, she then hit two consecutive fours in the 13th over. Between the 15th and 16th overs, Devine hit three fours in four balls. In the last four overs, Devine played only one dot ball and added 24 runs in 14 balls, where the right-handed batter hit two fours. Devine ended that innings with 57 not out in 36 balls with the help of seven fours.

In reply, India Women were all out for only 102 runs, where the White Ferns skipper also took three catches. Although Rosemary Mair (4/19) and Lea Tahuhu (3/15) dominated with the ball, captain Devine won the Player of the Match award. 

Hayley Matthews (West Indies Women): 50 runs (vs England Women) in Group Stage

Talking about this match, it was a must-win game for both teams, and both the Caribbean openers Qiana Joseph and captain Hayley Matthews can be considered for this list, but here we are talking about Hayley Matthews rather than the Player of the Match Qiana Joseph.

West Indies Women had a target of 142 runs, and they needed to reach the target faster to earn the top spot of the Group B points table. 

Unlike her opening partner Joseph, who was dropped three times, Matthews’ batting was more solid. After hitting an over-boundary on the second ball of the innings, the Caribbean captain hit two more fours in that first over of the second innings. It set the tone for West Indies Women. She hit four fours in the late part of the powerplay, including three fours in the final four balls of the sixth over. 

After scoring 35 off 19 balls at the end of the powerplay, Matthews continued her dominant batting with Joseph. They had a 102-run partnership for the first wicket, where Matthews completed her 14th T20I fifty in 37 balls. After scoring 50 off 38 balls, Matthews was dismissed. West Indies Women comfortably reached the target in 18 overs after losing only four wickets.  

Anneke Bosch (South Africa Women): 74 not out (vs Australia Women) in Semi-final

Well, you are beating the six-time champions and seven-time finalists in the semi-final, and there is no special performance; it only becomes odd. However, this strange thing is not the case for South Africa Women. 

Chasing down the 135-run target at Dubai, South Africa Women’s in-form opener Tazmin Brits was dismissed early for 15 runs. While the skipper and another opener Laura Wolvaardt required a good partner, the No. 3 batter Anneke Bosch played a stunning innings. Bosch was struggling in the entire tournament as she was failing to manage her strike rate of over 100, but the semifinal match was completely different for her. 

Bosch got a good start as she hit back-to-back two fours while facing the first 10 balls. While she strongly maintained her 100+ strike rate, her batting in the 12th and 13th overs just put the favourites Aussies in a hopeless situation. After hitting one four and one six to Georgia Wareham in the 12th over, she hit two fours to Ashleigh Gardner in the 13th over. 

While Wolvaardt was out after scoring 42 runs, Bosch ensured Proteas’ historic win against Australia Women by scoring 74 not out off 48 balls with the help of eight fours and one six. Without a doubt, it was one of the greatest batting performances in tournament history. 

Amelia Kerr (New Zealand Women): 43 and 3/24 (vs South Africa Women) in Final

New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr was unstoppable in the entire tournament, especially with the ball, where she took at least one wicket in every match. In fact, she picked up at least two wickets in the last five games. With 15 wickets (the most wickets in the tournament) and 135 runs (ninth most run-scorer), Kerr won the Player of the Tournament award. 

In this article, we are talking about her performance in the final, where she won the Player of the Match award for her brilliant all-round performances. After South Africa Women sent the White Ferns to bat first at Dubai, New Zealand Women scored 158/5 in 20 overs. 

Kerr came to bat in the second over and hit a four on the first ball. She then batted patiently till the 14th over, before which she hadn’t hit another boundary. In the 15th over, she hit a four to Nadine de Klerk. In the last five overs of the innings, before Kerr was dismissed in the 19th over, she scored 16 runs in 10 balls with two fours. Nonkululeko Mlaba dismissed Kerr for 43 runs off 38 balls. 

Later in the bowling, Kerr returned with the best bowling figures in the match with 4-0-24-3. She dismissed the in-form captain and set batter Loura Wolvaardt (33) and Anneke Bosch (9) in her second over. In her last over, Annerie Dercksen (10) was caught out at extra cover. South Africa Women only managed to score 126/9, as New Zealand Women won the match by 32 runs.