jwin7 Women's T20 World Cup 2024: Devine sets tone with 'complete' win over India

jwin7 Just last month, they lost 0-3 to Australia, losing 10 consecutive games. The top order looked inconsistent and relied too heavily on Kerr and Devine's saves to just keep them in the game. They fight to survive, picking players based on potential and praying they do well.

They land in the UAE as outsiders, not even dark horses, knowing full well that their first game against India could make or break their campaign. It turns out they started preparing a year ago. The only attention to detail they can't explain is the change of venue. They were set to play in the tea gardens of Sylhet but ended up plotting India's downfall around the ring of fire in Dubai.

They set the target right there, reaching 160 and using all the intelligence, such as Devine's knowledge of Smriti Mandhana's spin tendencies while playing with her at Royal Challengers Bangalore. Then use that intelligence to set up areas to target that weakness, such as having a long range that allows her to be caught on the power play.

This win should have motivated them; instead, they were beaten by Australia in the second game. They have been on a tear ever since, building unstoppable momentum to defeat Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the West Indies to reach Sunday's final, where they fought hard from the start and gave no breathing space to the South African bowlers.