Amelia Kerr equals McCullum in elite list, continues dream run as New Zealand captain

NZW vs SAW: Amelia Kerr continued her red-hot run as captain, smashing 78 off 44 balls against South Africa, equalling Brendon McCullum and leading the hosts to an 80-run win in the first T20I.

Amelia Kerr equalled Brendon McCullum’s tally on an elite list after scoring a spectacular 78 off 44 balls in the first Women’s T20I between New Zealand and South Africa on Sunday, March 15, at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. With that knock, Kerr joined McCullum in joint second for the most consecutive fifties by a New Zealand batter in T20Is.

Back in 2009, McCullum achieved the feat with scores of 59, 61, 56, and 69*. Kerr matched the former New Zealand captain with scores of 66, 101, 82, and 78*. The overall record across both men’s and women’s cricket is held by Sophie Devine, who registered six successive fifties between 2019 and 2020.

Since taking over as New Zealand captain, Kerr has barely put a foot wrong, beginning with the series against Zimbabwe. In the T20I series, she scored 183 runs at a strike rate of 177.66, while also registering her maiden T20I century. With the ball, she claimed four wickets at an economy rate of 4.25.

In the ODI series, Kerr was equally impressive, taking 16 wickets, including a seven-wicket haul in the second ODI and a hat-trick in the third. She also scored 140 runs at an average of 40.67, with a top score of 80. Kerr has now carried that rich vein of form into the series against the Proteas.

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Amelia Kerr produced a commanding all-round display to rattle South Africa and power New Zealand Women to a thumping 80-run win, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. After New Zealand lost Izzy Gaze for a duck off the very first ball, Kerr stepped in and completely shifted the momentum of the innings.