New Zealand's hopes of winning a Cricket World Cup on home turf are barely alive, after their second final-over loss of the tournament.
After setting South Africa 229 runs to win at Hamilton's Seddon Park, the White Ferns finally conceded defeat with three balls remaining, as tailender Ayabonga Khaka scrambled a single off Frankie Mackay's bowling to see her team home with just two wickets to spare.
The result leaves the NZ women with three losses from their five games, but they may still sneak through to the semi-finals with victory over defending champions England on Sunday and some help from their rivals.
South Africa and Australia seem assured of advancing, India have a strong run rate, but the last twos spot could come down to them, the Kiwis, the struggling English and suddenly staggering West Indies, who inflicted the Ferns' first last-gasp defeat in their opening game.
On that occasion, New Zealand orchestrated a staggering collapse that saw them dismissed in the last over, when they needed just six runs from the final six balls, with three wickets in hand.
Their latest disaster could be attributed to similar late-order mediocrity that saw them lose their final six wickets for 30 runs and fail to bat out their 50 overs, falling 13 balls shy. That baker's dozen returned to haunt them at the death.
The White Ferns won the toss and captain Sophie Devine chose to bat first, but she and fellow opener Suzie Bates struggled early against speedsters Shabnim Ismail and Marizanne Kapp, with Bates the first to fall in the third over. Devine and Amelia Kerr combined for a partnership of 81 runs, before the young allrounder was trapped leg before wicket.
When Amy Satterthwaite departed one run later, three of New Zealand's 'Big Four' were gone with 30 overs still remaining and the onus fell on Devine to anchor the innings. She found allies in Maddy Green (30) and Brooke Halliday (24), but when she was bowled by Khaka for 93, the batting effort quickly fell away, leaving the target about 20 runs short of expectations.
"We spoke about keeping out their strike bowlers," says Devine. "We know how dangerous they are with Ismail and Kapp at the top, and if we could get through their first spell, we'd be able to cash in.
"We spoken at length about someone in the top four or five being there at the end. That was probably me tonight and it was disappointing to get out when I did."
South Africa's response began assuredly, with opener Laura Wolvaardt compiling her third consecutive half-century of the tournament, sharing a third-wicket partnership of 88 runs with captain Sune Luus.
At 161/2, they were sucking the soul out of the Kiwis bowlers, as Devine rotated her arsenal, desperately trying to find a chink in their armour. Finally, Kerr provided some spark that brought the Ferns back into contention, removing Wolvaardt leg before wicket, then veteran Mignon de Preez in her 150th one-day international.
Her success gave her teammates renewed confidence, as they began to chip away at the South African middle order, until the visitors needed those same dreaded six runs off six balls to win. This time, allrounder Marizanne Kapp smashed a four to take the pressure off and then a single, leaving the glory for Khaka at the end.
"I thought Melie Kerr was outstanding," reflects Devine. "She certainly drew energy and we know she's a real impact player, so the way she could snare those two wickets, that probably shifted the momentum.
"We kept clawing our way back and cricket's a funny game. We've seen that this tournament, with games going to the wire, so if you can stay in there as long as possible, anything can happen."
NZ 228 (Devine 93, A Kerr 42, Green 30, Ismail 3/27, Khaka 3/31) South Africa 229/8 (Wolvaardt 67, Luus 51, Kapp 36no, A Kerr 3/50)
South Africa win by two wickets
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