Sophie Devine’s proficiency as a batsman is well-known, with numerous match-winning innings under her belt for New Zealand and franchise cricket. In a recent game against Gujarat Giants at the Brabourne Stadium on March 18, Devine’s destructive skills were on full display as Sophie Devine smashed eight maximums and nine fours to score 99 runs from just 36 balls, leading her team to victory.
Let’s look at three of the most impressive innings by this talented Kiwi all-rounder.
Record-breaking performance: 145 runs against South Africa in 2013
Sophie Devine’s century in the 2013 Women’s ODI World Cup against South Africa was a match-winning knock. She shared a crucial partnership of 128 runs with Suzie Bates after the team lost two early wickets. Devine accelerated her scoring after Bates’ dismissal and reached her century with a strike rate of 110.68, smashing 13 fours and six sixes in her innings of 145. New Zealand set a target of 321, which proved too much for South Africa, as they lost the match by 151 runs, with Devine winning the Player of the Match award.
Sophie Devine’s 105 runs against South Africa in 2020
Sophie Devine’s outstanding performance against South Africa in the fourth WT20I of a five-match series at Basin Reserve on February 10, 2020, remains her best innings. Playing aggressively, she scored an explosive century, smashing 105 runs off just 65 balls at a phenomenal strike rate of 161.54. She was unstoppable with 12 fours and three sixes, leaving the South African bowlers clueless. New Zealand posted 171/2 in 20 overs, winning the game and the series 3-1, with one match abandoned due to rain.
Sophie Devine’s 108 runs against Otago Sparks in 2021
Sophie Devine holds the record for the fastest century in women’s T20 cricket, achieved during the Women’s Super Smash match between Wellington Blaze and Otago Sparks on January 14, 2021. She blazed her way to an unbeaten 108 off just 38 balls, including nine fours and nine sixes, helping her team chase a target of 129 in just 8.4 overs. After the match, she expressed her nerves about returning to the game after a break and was glad to spend time in the middle and hit the ball cleanly.
