Women’s WC: Brits’ ton, Luus’ brilliance secure 6-wkt win for SA

South Africa clinched a dominant six-wicket victory over New Zealand in their Women’s World Cup clash at Holkar Stadium, Indore, on October 6, powered by a century from Tazmin Brits and a composed unbeaten 83 from Sune Luus.
Chasing a target of 232, the Proteas began assertively with openers Brits and Laura Wolvaardt setting the tone early. The duo struck three boundaries in the first two overs of the powerplay, maintaining a brisk scoring rate. Wolvaardt added two more fours before falling to Jess Kerr for 14. Luus then joined Brits at the crease and the pair took control of the innings, building pressure on the New Zealand bowlers with consistent boundary-hitting and smart rotation of strike.
By the end of the powerplay, South Africa were comfortably placed at 54/1. Brits continued her aggressive approach, hitting Sophie Devine for two boundaries in the 11th over. Luus added to the momentum with the first six of the match off Amelia Kerr in the 13th over. The duo’s partnership flourished as they reached their half-centuries and took South Africa past the 100-run mark in the 17th over.
Brits reached her fifty in the 19th over and accelerated thereafter. Together, she and Luus stitched their fifth century partnership in ODIs in 2025 — a record for any South African pair in a calendar year. They also broke the national record for the highest World Cup partnership for any wicket, surpassing the 128-run stand between Marizanne Kapp and Dane van Niekerk against Pakistan in 2013.
Luus brought up her half-century as South Africa reached 159/1 after 26 overs. A brief moment of tension arose with a run-out appeal against Brits, but replays confirmed she was safely in. The pair went on to raise a 150-run stand before Brits reached her fifth ODI century of the year, surpassing Smriti Mandhana’s record of four hundreds in a calendar year. She also became the fastest South African to reach seven ODI centuries, achieving the feat in just 41 innings.
Brits’ stellar knock ended at 101 off 89 balls, including 15 fours and a six, when she was bowled by Lea Tahuhu. New Zealand attempted a late comeback, dismissing Marizanne Kapp (14) and Anneke Bosch (0) cheaply. However, Luus and Sinalo Jafta (6 not out) ensured South Africa reached the target with 55 balls to spare. Amelia Kerr took two wickets, while Jess Kerr and Tahuhu claimed one each.
Earlier, New Zealand opted to bat first but suffered a setback on the very first ball when veteran opener Suzie Bates was dismissed for a duck by Marizanne Kapp in her 350th international appearance. It was Bates’ second consecutive duck in the tournament. Georgia Plimmer and Amelia Kerr steadied the innings with a 44-run partnership before Kerr was dismissed for 23 by Nadine de Klerk.
Captain Sophie Devine then joined Plimmer and added 57 runs for the third wicket. Plimmer fell for 28, caught by de Klerk off Chloe Tryon’s bowling. Brooke Halliday’s arrival injected momentum into the innings, and she partnered with Devine to add 86 runs. Halliday scored a brisk 45 off 37 balls with six boundaries before being dismissed by Nonkululeko Mlaba in the 39th over.
New Zealand’s innings faltered thereafter, losing Maddy Green (4) and Isabella Gaze (10) quickly. Mlaba capped off her impressive spell by bowling out Devine for 85 in the 45th over.
Brief Scores: New Zealand: 231/10 in 47.5 overs (Sophie Devine 85, Brooke Halliday 45; Nonkululeko Mlaba 4-40) South Africa: 234/4 in 40.5 overs (Tazmin Brits 101, Sune Luus 83*; Amelia Kerr 2-62) Result: South Africa won by six wickets.