New Zealand 190 for 7 (Amelia Kerr 78, Plimmer 63, Klaas 2-15, de Klerk 2-32) beat South Africa 110 for 7 (Brits 29, Devine 4-12, Jess Kerr 2-13) by 80 runs
Kerr, Plimmer and massive stand
New Zealand lost Izzy Gaze to a run-out without facing a ball, but for the next 14 overs they dictated terms. Amelia Kerr, fresh from scores of 101 not out and 82 against Zimbabwe, set the tone early with a crisp cover drive for four. She finished with 78, striking 11 fours and two sixes, with 56 of her runs coming in boundaries. Kerr repeatedly pierced the offside field with precise timing while also mixing in innovation, dropping to one knee to clear midwicket and fine leg and scooping deftly over the keeper. A no-ball from Kayla Reyneke in the fourth over – which went for 19 runs – proved costly as Kerr dispatched the free hit over long-on, and she continued to capitalise on anything short or overpitched.
Plimmer – who had missed the Zimbabwe ODIs with a shoulder injury – took time to settle, reaching 37 off her first 32 balls. The momentum shifted after the halfway mark when she lofted Nonkululeko Mlaba for six and followed it up with two more off Chloe Tryon in the 13th over.
However, South Africa fought back well at the death to keep New Zealand below 200, claiming the last six wickets for 44 runs after the early damage from Plimmer and Amelia Kerr. Klaas, who had conceded just four runs in her first two overs, returned in the 14th to remove Kerr with a well-disguised legcutter. She struck again in her next over with another slower ball to dismiss Brooke Halliday, finishing as the standout bowler with figures of 4-0-15-2.
