Suzie Bates steals the show, the star of NZ's jubilant celebration after T20 WC triumph

The White Ferns clinched the prized trophy for the first time in their history. Unsurprisingly, every member of the Kiwi team was jubilant and celebrating their historic triumph.

While leaving the stadium, star opening batter Suzie Bates was seen unleashing some dance moves, while the dhol was being played around her. As she made her way out of the stadium, she could not resist but to shake a leg, on hearing the dhol beats. This also brought a smile to the faces of the fans, and they started cheering loudly.

It was South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt, who won the toss, and she invited the White Ferns to bat first. Amelia Kerr and Suzie Bates played knocks of 43 and 32 respectively to help New Zealand post 158/5 in the allotted twenty overs. Brooke Halliday also chipped in with a quality knock of 38 runs to help the Kiwis post a total of more than 150 runs.

Amelia Kerr then returned with three wickets as South Africa were restricted to just 126/9 in the 20 overs.

After the T20 World Cup win, New Zealand captain Sophie Devine said, "I think once I get my hands around that trophy... I let myself dream last night about what it would be like to hold the trophy. Didn't want to get too far ahead of myself. Hard to put into words what it means, not just to me but to this group of players. And for New Zealand Cricket as well. It's been a long time between drinks. The great thing about this group is we've known what we've been trying to achieve the last 18 months. Results haven't gone in our favour but we know we've been building in the right direction."

Talking about whether she has changed her mind regarding leaving captaincy, Sophie Devine said, "No chance. I am done."

Speaking about Amelia Kerr, Sophie said, "We all know she's a once-in-a-generation player. What she was able to do tonight was incredible. Physically to do what she did with the bat, pretty sure she can't feel her legs at the moment. She is not a bad cricketer but the person that she is, the world is her oyster. It's scary to think how good she could be."

This is now South Africa's second consecutive loss in the Women's T20 World Cup final.

In 2022, the Proteas Women had lost the final against Australia. Earlier this year, the South Africa men's team had also lost the T20 World Cup final against India.