New Zealand Women Break All Previous Cricket Records! Become The 1st Team In The World To..

New Zealand Women achieves record chase [Source: AFP]

In an astonishing chase, New Zealand Women beat South Africa Women by 2 wickets in the second ODI of the series held on March 31 at the Basin Reserve Ground in Wellington. 

South Africa put 346 runs on the board at the loss of 6 wickets. While the target was steep, the White Ferns batted with intent and achieved the unthinkable to script a record victory.

New Zealand achieves a record-breaking chase in ODI cricket

Chasing a 347-run target, New Zealand Women captain Amelia Kerr led from the front. Despite the top and middle order not performing, Kerr single-handedly hammered 179* off 139 balls with 23 fours and a solitary six.

She stitched a 120-run partnership with Isabella Gaze, who also contributed with 68 off 48 balls. This duo’s effort led to an unthinkable result.

New Zealand Women chased down 347 runs with 2 balls to spare to achieve the highest successful run chase in Women’s ODI history.

Highest successful run-chases in Women's ODI cricket history

• 347 - New Zealand vs South Africa, 2026
• 339 - India vs Australia, 2025
• 331 - Australia vs India, 2025

Earlier, the record was held by India, who chased down 339 against Australia last year. India’s record lasted only about 5 months, showing how fast women’s cricket is evolving.

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Amelia Kerr stole the show with the bat

The record-breaking chase was only possible for the New Zealand Women because of skipper Amelia Kerr. Her unbeaten knock of 179 runs is now the second-highest individual score in a successful run chase in Women’s ODIs.

She is now only behind Chamari Athapaththu, who holds the record with a knock of 195*. 

Highest individual scores in run-chases in Women's ODIs

• 195* Chamari Athapaththu vs South Africa in 2024
• 179* Amelia Kerr vs South Africa in 2026
• 152* Meg Lanning vs Sri Lanka in 2017

What makes this achievement special is how tricky the match situation was. New Zealand had to chase a near-impossible target, and to add to the pressure, 3 wickets fell at just 100-odd runs.

While wickets kept falling at the other end, Amelia Kerr didn’t give up. She batted 139 balls and combined aggression with control perfectly to build a record knock.

With that victory, the three-match ODI series between New Zealand Women and South Africa Women is tied 1-1. The series decider will be held in Wellington on April 4.

Amelia Kerr tops all-rounder rankings

That being said, Amelia Kerr has been rewarded for her recent sublime form. She is now the No. 1 all-rounder in Women’s T20Is with 508 rating points.

She achieved this after scoring 276 runs in the recent T20I series against South Africa. Apart from the runs, Kerr also picked up 5 wickets.

Apart from all-round rankings, Amelia Kerr also climbed to No. 6 in batting rankings and entered the top 10 bowlers' rankings in the T20I format.

Overall, the New Zealand Women captain is in her prime, and her dominant performance will only help the White Ferns achieve new heights from here.

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