Amelia Kerr Rewrites History Books With Unbeaten Knock As New Zealand Breaks Record for Highest Successful Chase in Women’s Cricket

Amelia Kerr has dominated the series against South Africa, amassing 491 runs across seven matches, including 276 in T20Is and 215 in the ODIs.

Amelia Kerr Rewrites History Books With Unbeaten Knock As New Zealand Breaks Record for Highest Successful Chase in Women’s Cricket

Amelia Kerr scored a historic 179 runs against South Africa, completed a record run chase in W-ODIs. (via BBC)

In Short
  • Amelia Kerr scored an unbeaten 179 runs off 139 balls, leading New Zealand to the highest successful chase in women's ODI history.
  • New Zealand chased down a target of 347 runs against South Africa, leveling the three-match ODI series 1-1.
  • Kerr's innings included 23 fours and 1 six, breaking the previous record for the highest individual score in a successful W-ODI chase.

New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr was at her absolute best during her team’s W-ODI against South Africa, at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. She broke records on her way to scoring a remarkable 179 runs off 139 balls, while helping her team chase down a majestic 347-run target. 

It was an Amelia Kerr show at Basin Reserve, what many described as the greatest innings played in a Women’s ODI. New Zealand and South Africa faced off in the second One-Dayer of the three-match series, in which the visitors already led 1-0. Following a dominant 4-1 victory for the Kiwis in the preceding five-match T20I series, New Zealand are aiming for a complete clean sweep over the visitors.

In Wellington, the odds hardly seemed in the Blackcaps’ favor, after South Africa raced to 346/6 at the end of the first innings. Captain Laura Wolvaardt scored 69 runs off 74 balls, while Anneke Bosch top-scored with a 91-run knock. Chloe Tryon’s unbeaten 52, Sune Luus’ 40, and Sinalo Jafta’s 37 guided the Proteas to their third-highest W-ODI total. For the home side, Breearne Illing recorded career-best figures of 3/60, with every NZ bowler conceding more than six runs per over.

New Zealand began the chase on the wrong foot, losing opener Suzie Bates in the fifth over. However, what followed was a masterclass from captain Amelia Kerr. Fresh off scoring two T20I hundreds within a span of a month, she went berserk against the Proteas, helping her team chase down the mammoth 347-run target. She remained unbeaten on 179 runs, hitting 23 boundaries and a six, before completing the chase with three fours off Nadine de Klerk‘s last over.

Kerr was helped by Izzy Gaze, who made 68 runs off 48 balls, as the Kiwis leveled the three-match ODI series 1-1. NZ smashed the previous record for the highest successful run-chase in W-ODI history, which was set by India when they chased down 339 runs against Australia at the 2025 World Cup. Meanwhile, Kerr’s 179 became the highest individual score by a batter in a successful run-chase in W-ODIs.

No stranger to producing history, Kerr also holds the record for the highest score by a batter in an innings in W-ODIs. Her unbeaten 232 runs off 145 balls, which she scored at the age of just 17 in a match against Ireland Women in 2018, remains firmly on top.

Amelia Kerr’s fairytale run continues: New Zealand star ascends to world no. 1 T20I all-rounder

New Zealand Women’s skipper Amelia Kerr is having an outstanding year, having secured the POTS award in every one of the team’s outings so far in 2026. The 25-year-old’s consistency is illustrated by her streak of avoiding dismissal for a single-digit score since January.

Amelia Kerr T20I Rankings
Amelia Kerr jumped to the top of the ICC T20I All-Rounder Rankings. (via X)

Her T20I form has been the most remarkable, with Kerr having guided the Kiwis to a thumping 3-0 victory over Zimbabwe this year. She finished with 183 runs in two innings, including a century in the first T20I in Hamilton, while also picking up four wickets. In the five T20Is against South Africa last month, she once again secured the POTS award, after scoring 276 runs and picking up five wickets in a 4-1 win.

She became only the fourth women’s cricketer to score multiple T20I centuries as captain. Courtesy of her impressive run, the 25-year-old climbed to the top of the ICC Women’s T20I All-Rounder Rankings for the first time in her career. She went past Hayley Matthews, who had held the top spot since October 2023, with Kerr now on top with 508 rating points, ahead of the West Indian’s 483.

Amelia Kerr also rose two spots to be placed sixth on the T20 Batting Rankings, with 730 rating points. In the 50-over format, the New Zealand skipper is ranked 20th in batting, ninth in bowling, and an astonishing fifth among all-rounders. 

Read More: