Sophie Devine's Record 64* Powers NZ Women to 3-1 Series Lead Over SA

This is New Zealand's second-highest chase in women's T20Is. The only time they've gone better was against South Africa as well, when they took down a target of 173 in Benoni three years ago. This was also the highest successful chase by any team on New Zealand soil, overtaking South Africa, who had chased down 153 in Wellington in 2020.

Four of New Zealand's top five chases in women's T20Is have come against South Africa. And Sophie Devine scored a fifty in each of those games.

Chasing a challenging target of 160 runs, the White Ferns started with Isabella Gaze and Georgia Plimmer (29 off 22 balls). Gaze lost her wicket to Annerie Dercksen in the third over after making just six runs. Captain Amelia Kerr replaced her at the crease.

Kerr (31 off 29 balls) added 48 runs for the second wicket with Plimmer before Chloe Tryon got rid of Plimmer.

Then came the veteran Sophie Devine, playing her 150th T20I match. She added 46 runs off just 32 balls with her skipper. She kept finding boundaries in between the overs and kept her side in the game.

Tryon dismissed Kerr in the 14th over, with 57 runs still needed off 41 balls. Devine shifted gears and added another 46 runs for the fourth wicket with Brooke Halliday (16 not out off 12 balls).

Amelia's score of 31 runs in the match was her 10th successive 30-plus score, which is a new record in T20Is across both the men's and the women's game. She overtook Chamari Athapaththu (nine) and Rebecca Blake (nine).

Devine made 64 runs off 34 balls with the help of six fours and four sixes. It was her 10th 50-plus score against South Africa, and she became the first player in men's or women's T20Is with 10 fifty-plus scores against a single opponent. She has one century and nine fifties in 19 innings against South Africa.

Halliday and Maddy Green (9 not out off six balls) remained unbeaten and helped the White Ferns reach the target with nine balls and six wickets to spare.

Devine also became the 10th women's player to play 150 T20Is. During the match, the veteran New Zealand seamer Lea Tahuhu completed her 100th T20I match, becoming only the fifth from her nation. She joined her wife Amy Satterthwaite, Suzie Bates, Maddy Green and Devine in the elite list.

Earlier, it was South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt who decided to bat first after winning the toss. With the help of Annerie Dercksen's unbeaten 55 off just 32 balls, the Rainbow Nation managed to post 159/6 on the board.

Jess Kerr was the top bowler for New Zealand, picking three wickets, whereas Amelia and Devine shared one wicket each.

Jess Kerr achieved her best bowling figure (16/3) in T20Is. According to ESPNcricinfo, she has picked up 13 wickets in seven innings at an average of 10.46 and an economy rate of 5.13 this year.

With the T20I series already in the kitty, New Zealand women will host South Africa in the final T20I match at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, scheduled for Wednesday.

- ANI