Wellington, March 22 – Jess Kerr’s outstanding bowling, Sophie Devine’s match-winning innings, and captain Amelia Kerr’s all-round performance helped New Zealand chase down a competitive total to defeat South Africa by six wickets in the fourth T20I of the five-match series at the Sky Stadium on Sunday.
With the win, the hosts secured the five-match series 3-1 with a game to spare.
Choosing to bat first, South Africa posted 159/6 in their 20 overs, thanks to a late flourish from Annerie Dercksen, who scored an unbeaten 55 off 32 balls. Chloe Tryon started the innings with a quick cameo, but her early dismissal led to a period of consolidation.
Opener Sune Luus held the innings together with a steady 30, adding stability in the middle overs alongside Laura Wolvaardt. However, New Zealand continued to take wickets, with Jess Kerr emerging as the standout performer, taking three key wickets to restrict the visitors' progress.
The momentum shifted decisively in the latter half of the innings as Dercksen accelerated, easily finding boundaries and forming crucial partnerships with Nadine de Klerk (20 off 14) and later Kayla Reyneke (13 off 8). A productive final few overs ensured South Africa finished strongly at 159/6.
In reply, New Zealand had an early setback with the loss of Isabella Gaze, but Georgia Plimmer countered with a fluent 29, setting the tone for the chase. Captain Amelia Kerr then took control, regularly hitting boundaries to keep the scoring rate in check.
The defining partnership came through Kerr (31) and Devine, as the duo stitched together a valuable 46-run stand to put the hosts firmly in control. Even after Kerr’s dismissal, Devine continued to dictate terms, smashing boundaries and sixes en route to a match-winning 64 off just 34 balls.
Although Chloe Tryon managed to take a couple of wickets to briefly stall the chase, New Zealand remained in control. Devine’s departure in the closing stages did little to alter the outcome, as Maddy Green and Brooke Halliday calmly completed the chase with nine balls to spare.
For South Africa, Tryon was the pick of the bowlers, while Dercksen impressed with both bat and ball.
Brief Scores: South Africa 159-6 in 20 overs (Annerie Dercksen 55*, Sune Luus 30; Jess Kerr 3-16, Amelia Kerr 1-32) lost to New Zealand 160-4 in 18.3 overs (Sophie Devine 64, Amelia Kerr 31; Chloe Tryon 2-13, Annerie Dercksen 1-20) by six wickets.