A complete crisis was seen in Southampton new zealand women a flexibility overtaken ireland woman By just 4 runs in the 13th match of Group 2 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. In a thrilling night-and-night encounter that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats, the White Ferns successfully defended a modest total, thanks to an exemplary all-round performance from the captain. amelia kerr. The narrow win has significantly shaken up the Group 2 standings, keeping New Zealand’s knockout ambitions very much alive.
Amelia Kerr and Izzy Sharp lead New Zealand to a strong score
New Zealand, who came to bat first, had a very bad start to the innings. Leading Ireland’s bowling attack Orla Prendergast And amy maguireRavaged the top order, leaving the White Ferns in a delicate position of 10 for 3 in the first 20 balls. georgia plimmer Fell for just 4 runs, soon after isabella gaze (13) and maddy green (2).
captain amelia kerr Then took charge, leading a vital, counter-attack and scoring 30 runs in 24 balls with three fours to steady the sinking ship. After Kerr was out at 48/4, brooke holiday Kept one end in check by playing an innings of 34 runs in 37 balls. However, the real change of pace came from puberty easy sharp. In the last half of the innings, Sharp showed desperate urgency and scored a quickfire 36 runs in 28 balls with the help of four fours.
Late cameo from the veteran suzie bates (19* off 12 balls) pushed New Zealand to 140/6 at the end of 20 overs. cara murray and Prendergast was the best of the Irish bowlers, taking two wickets each.
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Ireland fall short by narrow margin as New Zealand defend their score
Ireland get off to bad start chasing 141 for historic World Cup win amy hunter quickly cleared by bree ling However, this was followed by a brilliant partnership of 110 runs between the captains gabby lewis And Prendergast completely took the game away from New Zealand for most of the second innings.
Both batsmen scored brilliant, identical half-centuries under pressure. Prendergast scored a brilliant 59 off 53 balls with five fours and a maximum, while Lewis scored 58 off 53 balls. At 116/1 in the 18th over, Ireland looked completely headed for a comfortable win.
Enter Amelia Kerr. As the game slipped away, the Kiwi captain brought himself back into the attack and turned the match around. In the space of three balls, Kerr dismissed the dangerous Prendergast and then also Rebecca Stokell For a duck.
With increasing pressure, rosemary mair The next over dismissed a well-set Gabby Lewis. Needing to defend a close margin in the final over, New Zealand’s bowling unit remained composed throughout. jess kerr And Illing (1 for 18) dried up the boundary Lewis Little (5*) and leah paul (8*) were stranded as Ireland finished on a very low score at 136/4. Kerr finished with match-winning figures of 2 for 23 and rightfully earned player of the match honours.
New Zealand won by 4 runs, a thrilling finish#T20WorldCup #NZvIRE pic.twitter.com/6Un2qJKo2l
– WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) 20 June 2026
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