In a remarkable display of batting skills, Sophie Devine has etched her name in cricket record books by becoming the 8th player to surpass 7000 international runs. This milestone underscores Devine’s consistency and impact in the limited overs format of the game, cementing her status as one of the most prolific run-scorers in women’s cricket.
Simultaneously, her teammate Amelia Kerr has achieved a significant milestone of her own, crossing the 2000-run mark in One Day Internationals (ODIs). Kerr’s achievement is particularly noteworthy as she becomes only the 10th New Zealand player to reach this landmark. Moreover, her excellent performance makes her the second-fastest New Zealand player to accomplish this feat.
Sophie Devine is one of the most experienced players from New Zealand. She has proven herself as one of the most fearless batters and big-match players throughout her international career. In an ongoing 3-match ODI series between England and New Zealand, Sophie Devine surpassed the 7000 international runs feat in the second ODI. She scored 28 runs off 34 balls before getting out to Sophie Ecclestone. Devine crossed this milestone after scoring her 27th run of the innings, thus joining the elite list of legendary batters who have already completed 7000 international runs. She became the 8th batter to do so and joined the list with legendary batters like Smriti Mandhana, Meg Lanning, Stafanie Taylor, Suzie Bates, Charlotte Edwards, Mithali Raj, and Harmanpreet Kaur.
Earlier, in the first ODI, Devine was unable to score big runs and got out for 13. That match was easily won by England by 9 wickets. Devine made her T20 international debut at the age of 17 on 18 October 2006 against Australia during the New Zealand women’s tour of Australia in Brisbane. She then made her ODI debut on 22 October 2006 against Australia during the same tour. Devine scored her maiden international century, smashing 145 runs off 131 balls on the global stage of the 2013 Women’s Cricket World Cup against South Africa at Cuttack. Her first T20 International century came against South Africa during their tour of New Zealand on 10 February 2020 in Wellington, where Sophie Devine scored 105 runs in just 65 balls at a strike rate of 161.53 with 12 boundaries and 3 sixes.
After Devine, Amelia Kerr broke another record by completing her 2000 ODI runs in the second ODI of the ongoing series between New Zealand and England. With this remarkable performance, she became the 10th New Zealand player to reach this landmark and the second-fastest New Zealand player to accomplish this milestone at just 23 years of age. Kerr crossed the 2000 ODI runs mark after scoring her 18th run in the second ODI.
Amelia Kerr is a very special player with a unique set of skills to perform on the big stage. She made her ODI debut on November 9, 2016, against Pakistan during a home series in Lincoln. She then made her T20 International debut on November 21, 2016, against Pakistan during the same tour in Lincoln at the age of 16. Kerr became the youngest female cricketer from New Zealand to debut in T20 Internationals.
Kerr has also registered an incredible record in her international career by scoring an unbeaten 232 runs against Ireland at the age of 17, becoming the youngest (male or female) to score a double-century across formats in international cricket. She also claimed a five-wicket haul in the same match, announcing her arrival on the international stage.