Aijaz Rahi/AP
White Ferns opener Suzie Bates made an unbeaten 91 as they booked 167-2, beating South Africa by TK runs in their Commonwealth Games opener.
In Edgbaston, Birmingham: White Ferns 167-2 (Suzie Bates 91no out of 64, Sophie Devine 48 out of 40; Nonkululeko Mlaba 1-33) beat South Africa 154-7 (Chloe Tryon 39 out of 17, Sune Luus 32 out of 18; Devine 3-37) with 13 runs
Suzie Bates played one of the best Twenty20 international innings of her long career as the White Ferns got off to a winning start at the Commonwealth Games.
New Zealand needed a win over South Africa to give themselves the best possible chance of making it to the semi-finals and battling for a medal next weekend.
On the back of Bates’ unbeaten 91 out of 64 balls – supplemented by captain Sophie Devine’s 48 out of 40 – they did just that at Edgbaston in Birmingham, coming home with 13 runs.
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New Zealand will send 232 athletes to the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Chloe Tryon threatened to save South Africa from an early hole but she was exhausted after shooting 39 from just 17 balls following a misunderstanding with her captain, Sune Luus.
The White Ferns finished 167-2 from their 20 overs as Melie Kerr was eliminated for 20 out of 16 of the last ball of their innings and were able to pin the Proteas back into the field early.
At the end of the six-over power play, South Africa was 29-2 and the demand rate was approaching 10 runs per over.
Kerr took Mignon du Preez’s wicket as the comparison rose by more than 12 runs per over – or two runs per ball – and when Bates made a fine catch in the outfield to remove Laura Wolvaardt, the result looked stable.
Tryon had other ideas, hitting three fours and three sixes before stranding when Luus turned down a leg-bye and Hayley Jensen completed the run from her own bowling.
Bates was dropped when she had 26 of 27 balls and added 65 to the 37 that followed, finishing with her third highest international T20 score.
She shared in a 99 out 80 partnership for the first wicket with Devine, then added 68 out of 40 with Kerr for the second.
Tryon’s 39 was the highest score of the Proteas, with Luus making 32 out of 18 after she left before falling herself in the penultimate over with 23 out of six still needed.
Devine took 3-37 from her four overs, while Jensen took 1-22 and Kerr took 1-24.
The White Ferns’ next game is against Sri Lanka (first ball Wednesday 5:00 a.m. GMT) and a win there – against a team they have never lost to – could be all they need to make it to the semi-finals .
Host England are the other team in Group B and will start their campaign against Sri Lanka later on Sunday morning [NZ time].