The knockout match went down to the wire as West Indies were in the contest till the last over of the clash. Late cameos guided New Zealand to 128\/9 after middle order collapse.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In reply, the Kiwis took wickets early, removing their opponents' chance for the sort of early momentum that saw them thrash England in the group stage.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, there was still a threat, especially with captain Hayley Matthews still out in the middle at the midway point of the innings and again when the explosive Deandra Dottin slammed 23 runs from a single over to spark a nervy finish.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt has not sunk in at all,\u201d Devine said after a thrilling eight-run win. \u201cI\u2019m still trying to get my brain back from being fried out there. Really privileged to be playing in a World Cup final.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe thing that makes me proud is the character we have had for the last 12-18 months. Results have not gone our way, we have gotten a fair bit of stick from people on the outside,\" she added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Talking about their innings, Devine said 130 was a competitive total but with the Windies in front, it was not an easy task to defend.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe last two to three overs saved our bacon, with the way Izzie (Isabella Gaze) batted,\u201d Devine said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe thought 130 would be a competitive total, we knew we were in with a great shout. With the ball, taking wickets regularly always helps. But when you have players like Hayley and Deandra, the game is never over.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cShe (Dottin) is a quality player. You can set the field for her but she can just hit it over the top. We put down a couple of chances, and had we taken them it might have been easier. Credit to West Indies. We always knew it was going to be a tough game and huge respect to them,\" she added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With 15 runs required off the final over, Devine turned to her teammate Suzie Bates \u2013 another veteran who appeared in both the 2009 and 2010 finals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
And Bates, who hadn\u2019t bowled previously in the tournament, held her nerve after being hammered for four off the first ball of the over, to finish the job for her team.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cShe has been harping on at us in training that she has been practicing for this,\u201d Devine said. \u201cWith just three fielders out, that is pretty clutch and to finish things off, it was cool for Suzie to do it.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Devine is excited to take on Proteas in the title clash. \u201cI\u2019m really excited about this last match and we have nothing to lose, and that is a great space to be. We will celebrate this tonight, and we gotta win this now,\" she said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cShe has been harping on at us in training that she has been practicing for this,\u201d Devine said. \u201cWith just three fielders out, that is pretty clutch and to finish things off, it was cool for Suzie to do it.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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