Sophie Devine recently etched her name in the annals of New Zealand cricket, becoming the first captain—male or female—to lead the country to an ICC T20 World Cup victory. As she took the field in her 150th ODI against India, she joined an elite club, becoming only the second New Zealander after Suzie Bates (166*) to reach this milestone.
Devine’s brilliance is undeniable. Her stellar all-round performance in the second ODI against India, with a quick-fire 79 off 86 balls and a sensational bowling spell of 3 for 27, underscored the form she’s carried over from the T20 World Cup. Her 57 off 36 was the backbone of New Zealand’s dominant 58-run victory against India, firmly setting the tone for the team for the rest of the tournament.
Selected for the White Ferns at just 17, Devine became one of the youngest players ever to don the national jersey. While sitting in a home economics class at Tawa College, she got the news from then-coach Steve Jenkin—marking the beginning of an iconic journey.
Devine made her ODI debut on October 22, 2006, against Australia. Batting at the tail-end, she didn’t get much time at the crease but impressed by taking the key wicket of opener Melissa Bulow. Her emergence as a reliable batter came in 2010, with an unbeaten 74 against Australia, and her first international century arrived in the 2013 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, scoring an explosive 145 against South Africa.
2018 marked her golden year with the bat—scoring 533 runs at an astonishing average of 106.6 across seven matches, with a best of 117* against England. Her finest year with the ball was in 2015, claiming 15 wickets in 15 matches, highlighted by her 3 for 40 against India. Now, with 150 ODI appearances, she has amassed 3,950 runs with eight centuries, including her career-best 145 against South Africa. Her bowling stats are equally impressive, with 105 wickets and a best of 3 for 24 against the West Indies.
Devine’s power hitting is legendary, holding the joint-second spot for the most career sixes in ODIs, alongside Lizelle Lee with 70 sixes, trailing only Deandra Dottin’s record of 89. She also shares the record for the most centuries in a calendar year, scoring three centuries in 2018. As one of the rare players with an ODI career boasting 1,000+ runs and 100+ wickets, her all-round capabilities place her among the sport’s elite.
Since taking over the captaincy from Amy Satterthwaite in 2020, Devine has led New Zealand in 46 ODIs, securing 17 wins for her country. Recently, she stepped down as T20I captain to focus her energies on the upcoming 2025 ODI World Cup, where she hopes to once again make history.
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