Devine sparks Ferns sweep
Sophie Devine felt her side needed a rark-up and she provided it starring with bat and ball as New Zealand completed a clean sweep of their women’s Twenty20 series over India.
Devine made 72 and then took 2-21 with the ball as the hosts triumphed by two runs at Seddon Park in Hamilton yesterday to claim a 3-0 series triumph.
Fellow opener Smriti Mandhana looked like getting India home in their chase but the brittle batting of her team-mates was exposed when she fell for a majestic 86 off 62 balls.
Devine was the bowler that took Mandhana’s wicket to sway the match New Zealand’s way. India needed 16 off the final over bowled by Leigh Kasperek – and four off the last ball to win – but could only manage a single.
The left-handed Mandhana went over the field often in the power play to get her side off to a rapid start in pursuit and then looked poised to pace the chase in the latter stages before her departure swung the match back in favour of the home side.
‘‘I got a bit fired up,’’ Devine said. ‘‘I thought we were a little bit complacent in the field there when they were making it look easy, and we needed a bit of a rark-up.
‘‘We put the pressure back on them. We saw in the first game how quickly it could change and it was the same today – a couple of wickets and all of a sudden dot balls are massive for us.’’
Earlier, Devine led New Zealand’s charge to 161-7 off their 20 overs in making 72 off 52 balls, smacking eight fours and two sixes before falling in the 17th over.
However, team-mates her could only make 21 off the final 21 balls while losing five wickets after Devine’s exit.
Devine’s knock was an innings full of bold blows to the full boundaries employed in Hamilton, with excellent footwork setting the platform for the righthander. ‘‘I think it was a really tricky wicket,’’ Devine said.
Her opening partner Suzie Bates fell in the sixth over after a brisk 24 from 16 balls. The duo played straight with great effect in the first five overs, often aerially, to both spin and seam.
New Zealand captain Satterthwaite was far from a passenger when Devine was in full flight. The left-hander found good value from the reverse sweep in reaching 31 off 23 balls.
‘‘To come out on top was a massive confidence booster for us, especially going into a big oneday series against Australia,’’ Devine said. The White Ferns now contest the three-match oneday Rose Bowl series, starting in Perth on February 22.