Women’s T20 World Cup: New Zealand shock India after run-out controversy to silence Dubai crowd

White Ferns snap dismal run of form with opening win thanks to Sophie Devine half-century and polished effort with the ball

New Zealand's Sophie Devine after reaching fifty during the Women's T20 World Cup match against India at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday, October 4, 2024. All images Chris Whiteoak / The National

Amelia Kerr was involved in a run-out controversy against India

Suzie Bates gave a good start to New Zealand

Asha Sobhana of India celebrates taking the wicket of Georgia Plimmer

Indian fans at the Dubai International Stadium

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur speaks to the umpires after a run-out was not given against Amelia Kerr

Lea Tahuhu of New Zealand after taking the wicket of Jemimah Rodrigues

Rosemary Mair picked up four wickets for New Zealand

Harmanpreet Kaur was among the batters who failed in Dubai

The biggest crowd of the Women’s T20 World Cup so far was silenced as it witnessed the biggest shock of the competition to date in Dubai.

New Zealand made a joke of the form guide as they stunned India with a 58-run victory at a buzzing Dubai International Stadium.

Cricket World Cups don’t generally feel like they have started until India play, and fans flocked to Sports City to see them get their campaign underway.

The majority left unhappy, though, as Harmanpreet Kaur’s side were first frustrated, then ultimately outplayed, by a side whose form had been dismal before arriving in the UAE.

New Zealand had endured a horror run in the lead up to the World Cup, losing 10 T20Is in a row. To extend the point, they had only won two out of the 17 games they had prior to this event.

In their last warm-up match, two days before the tournament, they were soundly beaten by England, too.

And yet when the spotlight was at its brightest, and the crowd roared its loudest, the White Ferns shone.

Although New Zealand were good value for their win, it was not without controversy. The game was delayed with six overs left in the first innings as India’s players and support staff protested a decision not to give Amelia Kerr out despite her clearly failing to make her ground.

When Kaur had the ball in her hand in the deep, it appeared as though the 14th over was coming to a natural end.

Sophie Devine, Kaur’s opposite number as the New Zealand captain, called Kerr through for a cheeky second run.

Kaur fizzed a throw into the gloves of the wicketkeeper, Richa Ghosh, who broke the stumps. Kerr was so certain she was out, she started to head straight back to the dressing room.

She was stopped before the boundary by the fourth umpire, and was ultimately reprieved by a large slice of fortune.

Anna Harris, the standing umpire, informed Kaur than she had called over. Premature though she might have been, the ball was thus deemed to be dead. As such, Kerr’s second run did not count, but neither – more pertinently – did the run out.

New Zealand were on 98-2 after 14 at that point. Kerr chipped the next ball she faced to Pooja Vastrakar off Renuka Singh anyway, so there was no damage done on the scoreboard, but the incident affected India’s poise.

The White Ferns, by contrast, powered on. Devine went on to make her 21st half-century in T20Is with a powerful display of striking.

To add to India’s frustrations, she went to her half-century with four through the off side in the last over – to the space on the boundary where a fielder might well have been had India not been hit with a time penalty for bowling their overs too slowly.

Devine’s 57 not out from 36 balls was a triumph for New Zealand’s old guard. When they needed them most, their most senior players stood up.

At the start of the innings, it had been Suzie Bates. Devine and Bates are among a select group of players in this competition who have played in all nine T20 World Cups since the women’s competition started in 2009.

Bates was a previous captain of New Zealand. She has long since passed on the armband to Devine, but she still knows how to lead.

She showed her side they had nothing to fear as she attacked from the off, sharing in a 67-run alliance for the first wicket with Georgia Plimmer in 46 balls.

That was the platform for a total of 160-4 in 20 overs. It always felt like an imposing challenge, no matter that Smriti Mandhana clipped the first ball of the chase for four.

So it proved. India attacked the target, but lost wickets at regular intervals. Rosemary Mair was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers as she took 4-19, while Lea Tahuhu took 3-15. India could only make 102 all out.

India will bid to bounce back when they face their great rivals, Pakistan, also in Dubai, on Sunday.