The second edition of the T20 World Cup was held in the Caribbean in 2010, with final held at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados on May 16th.
Australia’s skipper Alex Blackwell could be forgiven if she was a tad nervous at the coin toss. New Zealand had won the previous eight matches between these two teams. Blackwell called correctly and chose to bat.
The Aussies struggled and put together an under-par score of 106/8, Leah Poulton top scoring with 20. Wickets were shared among the White Ferns’ bowlers, Nicola Browne best with 2-11.
Just as the Aussies struggled, the Kiwis also found the Kensington Oval pitch hard to score from but were held together by a typically belligerent knock from Sophie Devine.
It all came down to the last ball of the match. New Zealand needed 4 runs. Ellyse Perry bowled to Devine who smashed it back at the bowler. It would have gone for four, but the former Matilda stuck out her soccer boot and stopped the ball. Australia had finally beaten the Kiwis and won their first ever T20 World Cup. Perry was named Player of the Match.
Scores
Australia 106/8 (Leah Poulton 20, Nicola Browne 2-11, Sophie Devine 2-21) defeated
New Zealand 103/6 (Sophie Devine 38*, Nicola Browne 20, Ellyse Perry 3-18) by 3 runs
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