Sharjah, Oct 12 (IANS): Chasing a small target of 116 against Sri Lanka, New Zealand had a great opportunity to push their Net Run Rate to overtake India and move to second position in a tight Group A. Though New Zealand managed to win the match by eight wickets, they did that with only 15 balls to spare and are now placed third behind India on NRR with both teams having four points.
New Zealand captain Sophie Devine said they did not think a lot about the NRR calculations during their chase. She said they will wait for how results play out in the next two days before thinking about NRR in their final group game.
"We actually didn't (think about it). We set targets at the innings break and it was to win the game in the 17-18th over. We obviously see how results play out tomorrow and by the Pakistan game, we will know exactly (what we need). We will celebrate tonight's win but then go back to the drawing board (for our last match)," said Devine in the post-match presentation after their victory over Sri Lanka on Saturday.
Devine, who was quite happy with the win that kept them in contention, praised opener Georgia Plimmer for her fine knock of 53 that set up their victory. "Plimmer was outstanding, super proud of her, sticking to her strengths and taking the game on," she said.
Devine added that the 20-year-old Plimmer has worked hard a lot behind closed doors, to get to this position. "She (Plimmer) has worked incredibly hard. A lot of it has gone on behind closed doors. She has copped a bit of criticism, which as a captain is hard because you see the work she has been putting in. She had a great knock against Australia in Australia and to see her grow…she is only 20-21 and she has a bright future (ahead of her)," said Devine.
Asked about her own batting position at No.4 in this event, Devine said it is the best for this team.
"This group is really flexible, whenever we can set up a platform like that, that is the best for this team. Nice to go out there, be a bit lazy and not run too much out there," she added.
On the back of impressive performances from Georgia Plimmer and Amelia Kerr, New Zealand strengthened their chances of qualifying for the semifinals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 with an eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka. Alongside Leigh Kasperek’s 2-27, Amelia played a crucial role in stifling Sri Lanka in the middle overs through her spell of 2-13 and restricting them to 115/5. In reply, Georgia’s knock of 53 off 44 balls, along with an unbeaten 34 from Amelia, ensured New Zealand completed the chase in the 18th over.