‘We all know she’s a once-in-a-generation player’ – Sophie Devine lauds Amelia Kerr after New Zealand’s historic World Cup triumph

Amelia kerr. (Photo Source: Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr received massive praise from her captain Sophie Devine after the 24-year-old played a significant role in her team’s maiden Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph on Sunday, October 20.

Kerr’s excellent all-round exploits for New Zealand in the finals against South Africa at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai set up a 32-run win for her nation. Devine hailed Kerr as a ‘once-in-a-generation player’ after the youngster won the Player of the Match and the Player of the Series awards.

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“We all know she’s a once-in-a-generation player. Physically to do what she did with the bat, I think she can’t feel her legs. She is not a bad cricketer but the person that she is, the world is her oyster and is great,” said Devine during the post-match presentation ceremony.

Kerr scored a gritty 43 off 38 balls, hitting four fours and New Zealand finished on 158/5 in their 20 overs. In reply, South Africa could only manage 126/9 as Kerr bagged three wickets for 24 runs in four overs. The Wellington-born finished as the highest wicket-taker in the tournament, having taken 15 scalps from six outings at an average of 7.33. Meanwhile, she amassed 135 runs at an average of 27 with the bat.

Results haven’t gone in our favour but we know we’ve been building in the right direction: Sophie Devine

Devine was filled with emotions as New Zealand won their maiden Women’s T20 World Cup. They became only the fourth nation to achieve the feat. New Zealand had reached the finals in 2009 and 2010 but couldn’t get over the line on both occasions. Heading into the tournament, they were on a horrible 10-match losing streak. However, they turned things around at the marquee event.

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“Hard to put into words what it means, not just to me but to this group of players. And for New Zealand Cricket as well. It’s been a long time between drinks. The great thing about this group is we’ve known what we’ve been trying to achieve the last 18 months. Results haven’t gone in our favour but we know we’ve been building in the right direction,” Devine said.