'Oh my goodness, that is insane' - when Jess Kerr found out about sister Amelia's record-breaking day

Jess Kerr remembers getting the call.

"Do you know what happened to Amelia?"

The New Zealand women's team had played an ODI against Ireland overnight. Since the match wasn't televised, Jess hadn't caught any of the action. She didn't know yet what her sister had accomplished.

"I just thought, 'Oh yea she would've got a 50 or a few wickets'," Jess recalled.

Technically, she wasn't wrong. At one point, Amelia Kerr did have 50 and a few wickets.

"Then I checked the scoreboard and I was like 'Oh my goodness that is insane'."

The scoreboard from June 13, 2018 revealed 232 not out to Amelia Kerr's name with 31 boundaries and two sixes. Amelia had become the youngest cricketer, male or female, to hit a double hundred in an ODI. She was the second woman to reach a double century in a one-day match and the eighth cricketer overall to hit the milestone and now held the third-highest individual score in the format.

"It was the first time I got the opportunity to open the batting, so I wanted to make the most of that opportunity," Amelia recalled.

She relished the chance to start the innings with in partnership with Amy Satterthwaite, someone Amelia says she watched a lot growing up and considers one of the best cricket brains around. She also got to watch Leigh Kasperek, normally her bowling partner, reach her first century.

"My dad always told me once you get to a hundred make it big. Lots of people get out as soon as they get a hundred," Amelia said. "Once I was in that zone, I wanted to do something really special and make sure I was there till the end as well and finish the job."

Amazingly, Amelia's record-setting double hundred was only half of her total contribution to New Zealand's 305-run win.

"I checked the wickets too and it was five wickets," Jess remembered.

After batting through 50 overs, Amelia didn't think her eventual five-wicket haul was going to happen. Even a nap during the innings break couldn't shake the toll of a double hundred.

"I didn't think I was going to bowl," Amelia said. "[Then captain] Suzie Bates told me to warm up and I was pretty sore, but again you're representing your country and every time I have the ball or bat in my hand I want to do the best I can."

Amelia bowled seven overs, taking five wickets and conceding just 17 runs. "For me once I had the ball in hand it was just bowling, trying to bowl consistently and set batters up for plans and I sort of happened to get five wickets," she said.

"I'm very proud of her. Can't really believe it still," Jess said

"I guess it was just one of those days where everything seemed to go your way," Amelia added.

Everything except for the law, that is. "I think I was too young to buy lottery tickets then," Amelia said. "Should've got one of the girls to though."

Following her historic match, Amelia received her first central contract with New Zealand in August 2018. In June 2020, Jess joined her sister with a contract of her own following an appearance at the Women's T20 World Cup in Australia.

The duo are now back in Australia for the limited-overs tour as the women's game resumes in the Covid-world, the pandemic having caused the ODI World Cup that was due to be held in New Zealand next February and March to be pushed back to 2022.

"To be able to play in front of your friends and family for a tour is really special, but for a World Cup is a step higher. To be in a final for that would just be incredible especially with sort of the year that's been happening too," Jess said. "It's good motivation."

"There's nothing like playing at home," Amelia said. "Other countries coming over to New Zealand and experiencing the culture, playing in front of friends and family, you can't beat that. It would be a big event for women's sport in New Zealand."