Captain Sophie Devine called her a once-in-a-generation player and Amelia Kerr couldn't have chosen a better stage or a better game to show her class and quality. The 24-year-old came clutch with both bat and ball on the occasion of the final as New Zealand finally broke the Women's T20 World Cup jinx, having lost the final twice in 2009 and 2010. New Zealand beat South Africa by 32 runs as the streak of heartbreaks in the finals continued for the rainbow nation with the number going up to three in the last 18 months.
Kerr stitched crucial partnerships with Suzie Bates and Brooke Halliday to score 38-ball 43. Halliday and Maddy Green provided the required finishing touches before tipping the score above 150. South Africa were behind the eight-ball but did start well in the powerplay. However, it all came downhill in the next six overs after the field restrictions with the Proteas Women losing four wickets and Kerr accounted for a couple of them, including the big one of skipper Laura Wolvaardt.
She capped off her spectacular night with the wicket of Annerie Dercksen to end up with three wickets after scoring some vital runs. Kerr was named the player of the match for her Sunday heroics and also the Player of the Tournament for taking 15 wickets, the most in a single edition of the Women's T20 World Cup.
Most wickets in a single edition of T20 World Cup (women's)
15 - Amelia Kerr (6 innings) in 2024
13 - Anya Shrubsole (6 innings) in 2014
13 - Megan Schutt (6 innings) in 2020
12 - Nonkululeko Malaba (6 innings) in 2024
11 - Julie Hunter (5 innings) in 2012
Kerr also became the first player in Women's T20 World Cup history to be adjudged the player of the final as well as the player of the tournament. The only other player to do so was England's Sam Curran in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022.
