Amelia Kerr’s late double earns New Zealand a four-run escape against Ireland

New Zealand finally have something to show for their title defence. The holders held off a charging Ireland by four runs at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Friday, defending 140 for 6 to leave the bottom side agonisingly short at 136 for 4 and pick up their first points of the Women’s T20 World Cup.

For an hour it looked as though Ireland might author the upset of the tournament. Chasing 141, they were 116 for 2 with Gaby Lewis and Orla Prendergast set, the required rate under control and a first World Cup win in sight. Then Amelia Kerr happened.

Kerr turns the game in two overs

Kerr had already made a busy 30 with the bat in tricky conditions. She returned to bowl the 18th over and broke the game open, removing Prendergast for 59 and then Rebecca Stokell two balls later to drag the momentum back to her side. Her figures of 2 for 23 do not quite capture how decisive that spell was.

Lewis was still there, and while the Ireland captain stood the chase lived. She made 58 off 53 with six boundaries, but Rosemary Mair accounted for her in the 19th over to leave Ireland 123 for 4 and the equation beyond them. The lower order swung hard at the death and came up four runs light.

New Zealand rescue their own innings first

The White Ferns had needed rescuing of their own. Prendergast was superb with the new ball and reduced them to 10 for 3, the kind of start that has defined a wobbling defence. Izzy Sharp steadied things with 36 off 28, Brooke Halliday added 34 from 37, and Kerr’s 30 off 24 pushed the total towards something defendable. Suzie Bates finished unbeaten on 19 to nudge them to 140 for 6, a score that felt 15 light at the innings break and just enough by the end.

Prendergast finished with 2 for 26 to go with her half-century, an all-round effort that deserved a result. Her stand of 110 with Lewis carried genuine threat for long stretches and had the Rose Bowl believing an upset was on.

What it means for Group 2

New Zealand arrived in Southampton having lost their opening two matches, beaten by West Indies and then Sri Lanka, with their grip on the trophy already loosening. This was not convincing, but it was a win, and it lifts them off the foot of Group 2 and back into the qualification picture with games still to play.

Ireland leave with nothing again. Three defeats from three has all but ended their campaign, and the cruelty of this one will sting longest given how close they came. Lewis and Prendergast gave them a platform few expected against the holders. They just could not see it through.

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