New Zealand’s ace all-rounder Sophie Devine has cemented her name as one of the elite cricketers in world cricket at the moment. Starting off as a dedicated fast bowler, the Kiwi international transformed herself into a quality batter. A feisty character on the field, Devine has proved her mettle showcasing her powerful hitting and brisk seam bowling in the international circuit. She is a vital cog of the New Zealand team. As things stand, Devine has amassed a total of 5996 runs and bagged 191 wickets across all three formats.
As the dynamic cricketer celebrates her 33rd birthday, let’s take a look at some of her top performances for New Zealand:
103 of 119 balls vs Pakistan Women, ODI, 2017
Devine had to wait three years after her maiden ODI century in 2013 to reach another three-digit figure in the limited-overs game. But boy she did it in some fashion against Pakistan in the first ODI of the three-match series. After New Zealand faced a batting collapse, Devine stepped up and took charge. The all-rounder played cautiously in the beginning only to unleash herself in the closing stages of the innings. She smashed a sumptuous ton (103 off 119) which eventually aided The White Ferns to secure the match by 8 runs.
145 off 131 balls vs South Africa Women, ODI, 2013
After a long hiatus, Devine made her ODI comeback in the 2013 ICC World cup. During New Zealand’s tournament opener against South Africa in February 2013, Devine struck an immaculate 145 runs off 131 balls their massive 151-run triumph over the Protease. She was absolutely unstoppable on the night and smashed 13 fours and six sixes.
105 off 65 balls vs South Africa Women, T20I, 2020
During South Africa’s tour of New Zealand in 2020, Devine scored her maiden T20I century against the Proteas. She was absolutely sensational on the night scoring 105 runs off just 65 balls as New Zealand trounced the visitors by 69 runs in the fourth T20I of the five-match series. Devine’s magisterial 105-run knock included 12 fours and three sixes.
70 off 39 balls vs India Women, T20I, 2015
Sophie Devine smashed the quickest T20I fifty in 2015 against India women at the batting paradise of Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. She took just 18 deliveries to complete the half-century and went on to score 70 runs off 39 deliveries propelling New Zealand to a stunning eight-wicket triumph in their first match of the T20I series.
75 off 55 balls vs Sri Lanka Women, T20I, 2020
The flamboyant all-rounder has played a number of match-saving knocks but none seem as impressive as the one against Sri Lanka in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2020. She blasted an undefeated 75 off 55 balls and also scalped a wicket in the second innings of the match, which New Zealand Women won by seven wickets.
117 off 116 balls vs England Women, ODI, 2018
Devine’s second-highest one-day innings came against England Women in the 2018 ICC Women’s Championship. A different side of the power hitter was on display after New Zealand suffered an early batting collapse. Devine battled it out for her well-compiled innings of 117 runs off 116 balls and led New Zealand to a four wickets triumph. Devine’s resilient knock included 12 fours and two sixes.
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