The Whites Ferns clobbered Zimbabwe by 180 runs in the opening ODI in Dunedin on Thursday.
Brooke Halliday smashed 157 and the Kerr sisters, Jess (three for 28) and Melie (four for 35), teamed up to help dismiss the visitors for 174.
‘‘We’ll take that,’’ Jess Kerr said shortly after the game.
But it was not a perfect performance.
The Zimbabwean top order proved quite resilient, and the White Ferns did not bowl that well, at least in the early stages of the innings anyway.
They gave up 31 extras, which is a lot.
‘‘Yeah, I think they batted well,’’ Kerr said.
‘‘They took their time and it was hard to buy a wicket initially.
‘‘The ball was moving a fair bit, so probably a little bit loose with extras at times.
‘‘We’ll review that in the days to come. But yeah, there’s always something to reflect on post a game and that’s probably the one today.
‘‘But, at the end of the day, we bowled a team out and I thought everyone who bowled today at some point nailed their role.’’
The Kerrs teamed up to mop up the middle and lower order.
They both notched milestones during the match. Jess picked up her 150th list A scalp and Melie went past 200.
‘‘I guess that’s quite fitting ... two milestones on the same day.
‘‘She’s been a huge influence in my cricket career ... and always inspires me. And she continues to do amazing things.’’
Melie has taken over the captaincy reins this year, and her older sister is in awe of
her sibling.
‘‘The really cool thing about Melie is she actually hasn’t changed too much about who she is as a person [since taking on the captaincy].
‘‘She makes people feel 10 feet tall when they’re about to bowl or in the middle.
‘‘And that’s something that’s so important when you’re going out to represent your country.
‘‘And on a personal note, as her sister, it’s been a dream of hers for a long time.
‘‘She’s ticked off a lot of things and captaincy has always been one she’s wanted to do.
‘‘It means a lot to her. So to see the care she’s putting into this team and will continue to do, that’s really pleasing.’’
There is a chance the White Ferns may experiment with their batting order today.
The White Ferns have lost just five wickets during the Zimbabwean tour. And while that is a good sign, it also means there are a lot of players getting ‘‘pad rash’’ as Brooke Halliday put it.
She came out at No4 and pummelled a massive century. But she did not get out to the middle during the T20 series.
Melie Kerr and Izzy Gaze scored so heavily, virtually no-one got a look in.
Gaze has not been dismissed in four outings against Zimbabwe. That kind of form could see her demoted to make way for someone else to have a crack.
Jess is just one of a group of players who are clamouring to have a bat.
She was Wellington’s leading scorer in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield and made some telling contributions during the Super Smash campaign this season.
During the T20 series against Zimbabwe, she was listed to bat at No7, then No6 and finally No5.
‘‘I was getting promoted without even batting. [But] it’s really pleasing to see our girls who are up the top of the order scoring big.
‘‘But I’d love to have a bat.
‘‘It’s something I’ve really worked hard at and want to sort of show I can do in the international space.’’
