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10:50 AM IST and 6:20 PM Local Time: New Zealand Women win by 2 Wickets! That is the highest ever chase in WODI cricket! To all the doubters of WODI cricket, New Zealand and South Africa have given us two absolute finger-biters! This game was gone! Yes, trust me when Amelia Kerr was losing partners, this game was simply gone!

The captain, the modern great, the future legend pulled it back all by herself. Even her body giving up at times would not stop her mental resolute! 179 off 139 balls and that will go into the hall of fame of New Zealand cricket! We have been treated with some historic stuff here in this series and we simply must bow down!

New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl first. They got rid of Tazmin Brits early just for the score of 9. However, post that Laura Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch stitched a superb 132 runs stand. Wolvaardt scored 69 off 74 and Bosch notched up a magnificent 91 off 90. The pair with some exquisite shots set up the innings in fine fashion.

The batters who followed made sure the momentum did not die and they kept on scoring at a fabulous clip. Sune Luus (40 off 43) and Sinola Jafta (37 off 29) made sure the middle overs were going through smoothly. The late flourish was provided by Chloe Tryon who scored a phenomenal 52 off just 25 balls.

This top class 'together' performance helped the visitors get to a massive 346/6. The pick of the bowlers was Bree Illing (3-60). The chase was always going to be a steep one as anything above 300 in New Zealand is a tester.

The chase started with Suzie Bates falling for just 8. Amelia Kerr came out with some intent and started scoring boundaries almost immediately. However, she could not find much support in the batters around her. Georgia Plimmer (23 off 33), Maddy Green (13 off 20) and Brooke Halliday (14 off 13), all got starts but none could convert and they kept on leaving Amelia Kerr alone out there.

In the meantime, though Kerr got to a fifty. She finally found the support she needed in Isabella Gaze. The pair stitched 120 off 81 balls. The key was Gaze in that partnership as her intent got the required rate down. She raced to 68 off 48 and that allowed Kerr to feel refreshed. The latter got to her 5th WODI hundred but at that point the job was far from done.

Just when you thought that the partnership had New Zealand in check, Masabata Klaas came back on to remove Gaze. The score was down to 290/6, and the two Kerr sisters were out in the middle. Amelia started to struggle with cramps and taking quick ones and twos was getting rather too difficult for her. 55 were required off 5 overs. Jess Kerr made a fantastic contribution with timely boundaries in her 14 off 7. That motivated Amelia to get back to scoring boundaries as she too started to find the fence once again.

It came down to 11 to win off the final over. Amelia started with a superb ramp shot and then was lucky with an inside edge for four. 3 off 4 balls. The pair ran a single and then it was Amelia who hit the winning runs of the 4th ball of the final over to seal and steal a record chase for her side. She ended with a magnificent 179 Not Out of 139 balls. The pick of the bowlers was Ayabonga Khaka (3-51).

The South Africans were shocked as with Kerr losing partners and energy; they should have bagged the match. However, Kerr denied them any such pleasure as she carved a chase for the legends.

Highest Individual Score in an ODI in New Zealand:

179* - Amelia Kerr (NZ) vs South Africa Women, Wellington, 2026 (TODAY)

170 - Alyssa Healy (AUS) vs England Women, Christchurch, 2022

157* - Brooke Halliday (NZ) vs Zimbabwe Women, Dunedin, 2026

157 - Rachel Priest (NZ) vs Sri Lanka Women, Lincoln, 2015

Player of the Match: Amelia Kerr

Amelia Kerr (POTM): "Yeah, pretty special. I think at the halfway mark we were probably disappointed with our effort in the field, but we always knew it was a good wicket and that we were still in the game. That belief in the dressing room was key. Once I got in, I knew I had to keep going—you don’t want to throw it away. To bat till the end was really satisfying, and I thought Issy Gaze was outstanding. Without that partnership, we wouldn’t have gotten close. So, yeah, it’s definitely one of my favorite innings.

[On Partnership with Gaze] Yeah, Gaze was awesome. She allowed me to keep batting positively, while taking on a lot of risks herself and finding boundaries, which really eased the pressure on me. We were able to build a significant partnership after losing two key wickets—Maddy and Brooke—and the way she played was outstanding. She was in her own zone, didn’t want me to talk to her, and just got on with it.

[How far has the Women's game come in terms of getting someone like you to believe that you can do something like you've done today?] Yeah, I think you reflect on where women’s cricket was when I started for New Zealand—220 was about par back then. To now chase down 350, it just shows how far the game has come. You can see it in the way South Africa play as well, with their powerful ball strikers.For us, the belief in the dressing room was crucial, and a lot of that comes from the batting coaches and support staff, who have full faith in us. Of course, we would’ve preferred a smaller target, but knowing we can chase totals like that makes a big difference.

[Were you starting to get a little bit nervous when you're losing wickets towards the end?] A little bit, but thankfully we bat very deep in this team. When Jess came in, she played an outstanding cameo—a six and then a four—which again took the pressure off me. As it came down to the final few overs, I knew I had to take responsibility. Kayley was cool, calm, and composed out there. The job was to get me on strike and keep running hard for twos, and fortunately, it went our way."

Amelia Kerr (New Zealand Women Captain): "[Chats before the run chase?] Yeah, I didn’t say much in the dressing room, but the batting coaches like to set targets for us regardless of what we’re chasing. It’s about being clear on where we want to be at different stages. Those targets help simplify the chase instead of getting overwhelmed by a big total. If you break it down, it becomes more manageable—like needing a certain rate over a set number of overs, which is something you’d normally do in a T20. So, breaking the chase into smaller parts and having that clarity was key.

[Learnings?] Yeah, I think at the halfway stage we were very disappointed, but you can’t dwell on that when there’s still half the job left to do. We know that wasn’t our standard—that’s not where we want to be with the ball or in the field. I felt we bowled a bit too full, and there were quite a few dropped catches. Like I said the other day, no one means to drop them, but we have to be better. We’re playing international cricket, and I believe we’re much better than that. Hopefully, we can turn it around quickly for game three.

[What are you learning about yourself as skipper?] That’s a good question. I’m just really enjoying it. The group is outstanding and a great bunch to work with—that’s probably what I love the most. Nothing really changes; I’m still the same person within the environment. But I’m big on building belief, making sure the girls feel they can win every game and become the best cricketers in the world—and I hope they truly feel that."

Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa Captain): "[On 346/6 at the halfway stage] Yeah definitely thought it was enough. Statistically that should have been. I think the wicket was tricky when we were put in. However, we fought it well and then the wicket flattened out.

[On Amelia Kerr] She batted really well. It was almost like we have no answers to her. To yorkers as well she had some awesome shots. She pulled out the ramps and the sweeps, and it hurt us. I think the partnership with Gaze hurt us a lot.

[Evolvement of the women's game] Yeah, the game is moving in the right direction for sure. It is changing. You are seeing many 300+ scores. Our side is also scoring that quite often and yeah that is helping the game I feel."

Highest individual score for New Zealand Women in an ODI:

232* - Amelia Kerr vs Ireland Women, Dublin, 2018

179* - Amelia Kerr vs South Africa Women, Wellington, 2026 (TODAY)

168 - Suzie Bates vs Pakistan Women, Sydney, 2009

Most Hundreds for New Zealand Women in ODIs:

13 - Suzie Bates (2006-2026)

9 - Sophie Devine (2006-2025)

7 - Amy Satterthwaite (2007-2022)

5 - Amelia Kerr (2016-2026)*

It would be interesting to be in both the dressing rooms right now! Both teams know that they are walking into a decider. However, both would also be aware that they had genuine chances of sealing the series 2-0! 

Kayla Reyneke stole victory from the jaws of defeat in Christchurch. Amelia Kerr did the same here in Wellington. In a way, both sides would also feel relieved. New Zealand have saved a series loss for now against all odds. South Africa would be happy this was not the decider.

With all to play for, we move to the third WODI at the Basin Reserve in Wellington itself in 3 days' time. It is the last match of the New Zealand summer and there is plenty of high octane cricket to be expected from both sides.

On that note, I, Manan Mehta would like to take your leave on behalf of my colleagues Deepak Prakash, Dev Rajawat Sachin Yadav and Yogesh Kumar. B-byeee!!!