NZ-W vs ZIM-W 1st ODI: Halliday, Kerr sisters hand New Zealand 1-0 lead

Match Overview

New Zealand and Zimbabwe faced off in the first women’s ODI of the three-match series at Dunedin's University Oval on March 5. Zimbabwe Nomvelo Sibanda won the toss and elected to field.

The hosts took a 1-0 lead in the series with a mammoth 180-run win, riding on the back of Brooke Halliday's career-best 157 off 118, carrying their winning momentum after blanking the visitors 3-0 in a glaringly one-sided T20I series.  

After inserting New Zealand to bat, Christabel Chatonzwa struck in the seventh over to break the 48-run opening stand between Emma McLeod and Amelia Kerr, as the latter walked back for an 18-ball 15. The visitors got another breakthrough in the 16th over as Precious Marange removed McLeod for 35 off 43.

However, Halliday made merry from there, dispatching Zimbabwe bowlers to every nook and corner of the venue in a record-setting knock. She smacked 24 fours and a six in her innings and was involved in two giant partnerships, adding 122 off 112 for the third wicket with Maddy Green (67 off 80) and 151 off just 96 for the fourth with Isabella Gaze (unbeaten 59 off 42).

Halliday notched up her half-century off 45 balls and reached to her maiden century in 93 deliveries. But the real acceleration came after that, as she took only 21 balls to race from 100 to 150, with New Zealand looting 117 runs in the last 10 overs of the innings to reach a formidable 354 for 4.

Zimbabwe were found wanting against the might of the New Zealanders, enduring their biggest defeat by margin of runs. Modester Mupachikwa perished to Jess Kerr early before Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano (38 off 70), and Kelis Ndhlovu (51 off 109) showed some resistance in their 93-run partnership for the second wicket in 150 balls.

Molly Penfold broke the partnership in the 29th over with Mugeri-Tiripano's wicket while Ndhlovu walked back shortly after to Nensi Patel. Zimbabwe capitulated quickly from there, with Kerr sisters wrecking them with seven wickets between them. While Amelia took care of the middle order, returning 4 for 35, Jess cleaned the tail, claiming for 28 to restrict Zimbabwe to 174 in 47.3 overs. 

Top run-scorer of the match

Top wicket-taker of the match

Player of the match

Brooke Halliday