New Zealand skipper Amelia Kerr achieved a remarkable landmark of becoming the 1st White Ferns spinner and only the 2nd bowler after former skipper Sophie Devine to take 100 T20I wickets. She also became the 2nd fastest in terms of number of matches (93 matches) to achieve 100 T20I wickets and 1,000 runs after Hong Kong’s Kary Chan in the Women’s T20Is.
New Zealand are hosting South Africa for a white-ball series that includes a five-match T20I series followed by a three-match ODI series from 15th March to 4th April 2026. The home side won the 1st T20I by a dominant margin of 80 runs to go 1-0 up in the series. However, the visitors, led by skipper Laura Wolvaardt, bounced back with a solid performance, securing the 2nd game by 18 runs to level the 5-match T20I series.
Ahead of the 2nd T20I, she was just one wicket away from the landmark. She entered the 100 T20I wicket club by dismissing the South African opening batter Sune Luus (31 off 21 balls), trapping her LBW in the 7th over of the innings, providing the first breakthrough for her side.
The South African skipper, Laura Wolvaardt, won the toss and opted to bat first in the 2nd T20I at Seddon Park, Hamilton. Skipper Amelia Kerr returned with impressive match figures (4-0-29-2) in her spell with the ball for her side, accounting for the scalp of Tazmin Brits (53 off 43 balls) in her spell alongside the memorable scalp of Sune Luus.
South Africa posted 177/5 in their quota of 20 overs, with the power-packed cameo of the promising youngster Kayla Reyneke 28* (9 balls) pushing the total past the 170-run mark. The White Ferns fell 18 runs short as they were bundled out for 159, with 5 balls to spare. Ayabonga Khaka (4-0-27-4) and Nonkululeko Mlaba (4-0-27-3) starred with the ball for the Proteas.
Amelia Kerr was officially named as the full-time skipper of the White Ferns on 15th February 2026, across formats. She had a fantastic start to her leadership tenure as they managed to pull off a whitewash (3-0) in the T20Is as well as the ODIs, while they hosted Nomvelo Sibanda’s Zimbabwe for the first time for a bilateral series at the international level from 25th February to 11th March 2026.
Amelia Kerr made her international debut in an ODI on 9th November 2016, against Pakistan at Lincoln. She made her T20I debut on 21st November 2016, against Pakistan at Nelson. Since then, she has picked up 101 wickets at an average of 20.02 and an economy of 6.05 in 91 innings, including a couple of four-wicket hauls in 93 matches with the ball for her side in the format.
Her best performance with the ball for her side in the format came on 22nd September 2024, against Australia, when she returned with impressive match figures (4-0-20-4) in her spell with the ball in the 1st innings at Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay.
However, her effort went in vain as New Zealand lost that game by 29 runs as they were unable to chase the target of 143 in that game. Over the years, Amelia Kerr, the leg-spin all-rounder who arrived as a teenage prodigy, has improved in leaps and bounds, evolving into one of the most effective match winners across formats for her side.
Looking ahead with the number of ICC events on the calendar in the near future, the timing of Amelia Kerr taking over as the full-time skipper for the White Ferns couldn’t have been more perfect. She continues to grow in confidence, both as a player and as a leader, especially after a blockbuster Player of the Series performance against the Zimbabweans.
New Zealand will continue to test the bench strength and experiment with the talent on offer as the white-ball assignment moves ahead against the Proteas, with a keen eye towards forming and discovering the core and the brand of cricket they want to adopt as they inch closer to their title defense in the upcoming 10th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup hosted by England and Wales from 12th June to 5th July 2026.
Loves all things female cricket