DOT Desk: New Zealand kept their faint semi-final hopes alive with an emphatic 71-run win over Bangladesh at Newlands, reports Dhaka Trubine.
Suzie Bates’s superb 81 runs runs set the White Ferns on their way to a first victory of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, validating their decision to bat first with a tournament-high 189 for three.
That proved far too much for the Tigresses, whose chances of a miraculous victory fell away after losing two wickets early in their reply, as they stuttered to 118 for eight.
Needing a big win to stand a chance of progressing to the last four, New Zealand opted for a hit and run approach from the off.
Bernadine Bezuidenhout started the innings with purpose, guiding a wide and fullish first ball from Marufa Akter down to the third man boundary.
That set the tone for a positive start which bordered on overzealous at times, with Bates likely to have been run out but for a poor throw inside the inner ring.
The White Ferns’ former captain started patiently, but after passing Australia’s Meg Lanning for most runs at Women’s T20 World Cups, soon found her stride.
Bezuidenhout kept her foot on the pedal too, and finished the powerplay just as she had started, with a controlled stroke to the fence as New Zealand sat nicely poised at 49 for no loss after six overs.