The Proteas Women were given a rude awakening on Sunday morning when New Zealand thrashed Laura Wolvaardt’s team by 80 runs in the first T20I at Mount Maunganui.
The visitors had enjoyed a comfortable home summer with series victories over Ireland and Pakistan but were unable to lift their game to the required level when facing the current T20 Women’s World Champions.
It was the first time these two sides met since the Proteas were defeated by the White Ferns in the T20 World Cup final in Dubai two years ago.
The home side held sway again in the first of the five-match series, smashing 190/7, with captain Amelia Kerr leading the way with a blitzkrieg 78 off just 44 balls (11×4, 2×6). The White Ferns skipper was well supported by opener Georgia Plimmer (63 off 44 balls, 5×4, 3×6), who set the platform upfront.
All the Proteas’ suffered at the hands of Kerr and Plimmer, bar veteran seamer Masabata Klaas who finished with the excellent figures of 2/15 from her allotted four overs. Nadine de Klerk also picked up 2/32.
The Proteas’ run chase stuttered throughout and virtually nose-dived after Wolvaardt was dismissed for a three-ball duck.
Opener Brits’ 29 off 35 balls was never going to hurt the Kiwis, and only young Kayla Reyneke offered up any sort of a fight with an unbeaten 24 off 18 balls at the backend, but by then the result had long been decided with veteran White Fern Sophie Devine recording her career-best bowling figures of 4/12.
Coach Mandla Mashimbyi will have to find a way of getting the team to improve greatly ahead of the next match in Hamilton on Tuesday for his team were outplayed in all three disciplines.
1st T20I Scoreboard
New Zealand: 190/7 (A Kerr 78, Plimmer 63, Klaas 2/15, De Klerk 2/32)
South Africa: 110/7 (Britz 29, Reyneke 24*, Devine 4/12)
New Zealand won by 80 runs
