Kerr makes 232no, takes 5-17!

New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr can lay claim to have played the greatest game of one-day cricket ever after she destroyed Ireland with both bat and ball in astonishing fashion on Wednesday in Dublin.

The carnage started with the bat when Kerr, only 17-years-old, smashed the highest individual score in women’s one-day internationals, a colossal 232no from 145 balls that eclipsed the previous mark of 229no set by Australia legend Belinda Clark against Denmark in Mumbai in 1997.

Kerr then backed up her mammoth batting innings by taking 5-17 from seven overs to help bowl out Ireland for 135 and secure a colossal 305-run win.

Kerr became the joint third-youngest woman to make an ODI century, behind India’s Mathali Raj (16 years 205 days) and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt (17y 105d) and equal with England’s Charlotte Edwards (17y 243d).

In her previous 19 ODIs, the right-hander had amassed just 174 runs but Wednesday’s innings eclipsed her entire career aggregate and then some.

Having reached her double-century with a one-bounce four over extra cover from the final ball of the 47th over, Kerr still needed 28 more runs to break Clark’s 21-year record.

Twelve runs in the 49th over brought her score to 217 and the equation to 12 off six balls.

Clark’s milestone looked out of reach but the New Zealander would not be denied as she hit two fours and then a six off the final ball of the innings to set the new high watermark in women’s ODI cricket. 

She finished with 31 fours and two sixes, remarkably the only maximums in New Zealand’s innings. 

If that wasn’t enough, Kerr, who bowls leg-spin, claimed her maiden ODI five-wicket haul as the Irish faltered chasing the enormous target of 441. 

All five of Kerr’s wickets were bowled, including four of the final five dismissals to fall as the White Ferns wrapped up the 305-run win, which was unbelievably their third victory of the series by more than 300 runs.

Last Friday, New Zealand posted a world record 4-490 before going on to win by 356 runs, while on Sunday they made 418 and bowled out Ireland 112 to win by 306 runs.