New Delhi: New Zealand outclassed South Africa by 32 runs in the summit clash of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. The ninth edition of the marquee event saw the Kiwis emerging as the new winners rather than the “traditional” Australia – their trans-Tasmanian rivals. It was notably the first Women’s T20 World Cup final since the inaugural edition in 2009 that featured neither Australia nor England.
Well, finally New Zealand were able to bag their maiden title, being the runners-up back in 2009 when England beat them by six wickets. They made it to the final of the 2010 event as well but were defeated by Australia (by three runs) who bagged their first-ever Women’s T20 World Cup title. It took New Zealand a total of 15 years to finally leave a mark on the ICC silverware, clinically beating South Africa in the all-important finale.
👑 CHAMPIONS 👑
New Zealand win their maiden Women’s #T20WorldCup title 🏆#WhateverItTakes #SAvNZ pic.twitter.com/DOfyWZgLUf
— ICC (@ICC) October 20, 2024
Both New Zealand and South Africa covered a very similar kind of road to the final of the showpiece event. The White Ferns first beat India by 58 runs in the tournament opener to give them a reality check but were defeated by the mighty Australia by 60 runs in the second group stage clash. It didn’t matter much as they registered victories over Sri Lanka (by eight wickets) and Pakistan (by 54 runs) to sail into the semis where they beat West Indies by eight runs.
Meanwhile, South Africa registered a dominant victory over West Indies (by 10 wickets) in the campaign opener but lost to England (by seven wickets) in the second clash. They defeated Scotland by 80 runs next and beat Bangladesh by seven wickets to cruise to the semifinals where they stunned the Aussies by eight wickets to become the first team to have qualified for the final.
Complete list of Women’s T20 World Cup winners
It was the ninth edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup which was first held in 2009 where England emerged as the inaugural winners. The focus was then shifted to the Aussies who dominated the tournament with sheer power, winning six out of seven finals they reached. The only time they lost was in 2016 when West Indies beat them to become the third new winner of the elite title. And with curtains down on the 2024 edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup, New Zealand are the new entrants in the list of winners.
| Year | Winners | Result | Runners-up |
| 2009 | England | won by 6 wickets | New Zealand |
| 2010 | Australia | won by 3 runs | New Zealand |
| 2012 | Australia | won by 4 runs | England |
| 2014 | Australia | won by 6 wickets | England |
| 2016 | West Indies | won by 8 wickets | Australia |
| 2018 | Australia | won by 8 wickets | England |
| 2020 | Australia | won by 85 runs | India |
| 2023 | Australia | won by 19 runs | South Africa |
| 2024 | New Zealand | won by 32 runs | South Africa |
