Amelia Kerr and New Zealand Women were busy breaking records in the second ODI against South Africa on Wednesday at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. They chased down 347 runs successfully on the back of Kerr’s stunning unbeaten 179-run knock to break India’s world record set during the World Cup semifinal against Australia last year.
India had chased down 339 runs at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai thanks to Jemimah Rodrigues’ unbeaten 127 with five wickets and nine balls in hand. It was the world record chase in Women’s ODI cricket at the time, surpassing Australia’s record set earlier in the tournament.
However, benchmarks in Women’s cricket are also changing rapidly as even India’s world record lasted for only around five months with New Zealand chasing a mammoth target of 347 runs to level the three-match series against South Africa. It took a herculean effort from their captain, Amelia Kerr, who led from the front and remained unbeaten, to take her team over the line.
Highest successful run-chases in Women’s ODI cricket history
| Team | Opponent | Target | Final Score | Year |
| South Africa | New Zealand | 347 | 350/8 | 2026 |
| India | Australia | 339 | 341/5 | 2025 |
| Australia | India | 331 | 331/7 | 2025 |
Kerr registers second highest individual score in run-chases in Women’s ODIs
Amelia Kerr came out to bat at number three for the White Ferns after they lost their veteran opener, Suzie Bates, in the fifth over of the run-chase. She kept scoring runs at a fair clip after that and stitched a vital partnership of 52 runs with Georgia Plimmer and then added 120 runs for the fifth wicket with Isabelle Gaze. Even though wickets kept falling at the other end, Kerr didn’t deter and played some exquisite strokes to keep her side in the hunt.
She upped the ante in the death over and batted superbly with the tail to help New Zealand scale the mountain and create a world record. In the process, she smashed an unbeaten 179 off 139 deliveries with 23 fours and a six to her credit, registering the second highest individual score in run-chases in Women’s ODIs.
Highest individual scores in run-chases in Women’s ODIs
Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka) – 195* vs South Africa in 2024
Amelia Kerr (New Zealand) – 179* vs South Africa in 2026
Meg Lanning (Australia) – 152* vs Sri Lanka in 2017
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