South Africa will take on New Zealand in the Women’s T20 World Cup final in Dubai on Sunday, with both teams vying for their first title.

The Proteas Women come into this final having alternated between wins and losses in their last four T20I clashes against New Zealand, but won the most recent contest by 11 runs in October last year.

South Africa have also enjoyed significant success in recent Women’s T20 World Cup encounters with the White Ferns, winning two of their last three meetings, including a 65-run victory in Paarl during last year’s tournament.

The Proteas Women will be playing in their second consecutive T20 World Cup final, joining Australia, New Zealand and England as teams that have reached back-to-back finals.

“It’s nice to be in another final,” said Proteas all-rounder Chloe Tryon on Saturday. “It’s always been our goal and is exciting for the team. We’ve been working hard to get here, and we just want to play our best cricket on Sunday.”

Tryon said the team had grown since last year’s T20 World Cup final.

“That loss was tough to swallow, but we’ve reflected and learned a lot. We’re calmer now and know our roles better. We’ve been gelling really well, and I feel like the way we’ve been playing – calm, confident, and together – has been key.”

On the challenge posed by New Zealand, Tryon expected a fierce contest.

“They’ve shown a lot of resilience, especially turning things around in this tournament. We know it’s going to be a tough fight, but we’re excited for it.”

When asked about the significance of potentially bringing the trophy home, Tryon said: “It would mean so much to unite the country. We’ve had a lot of support from back home, and we want to make everyone proud. We hope to bring everyone together by doing something special on Sunday.”

Sunday’s final will start at 4pm (SA time) and be broadcast on SuperSport Grandstand (channel 201).