Melie Kerr

Before June 13, 2018, Amelia Kerr had hosts of firsts already to her name. But on that day, the 17-year-old legspin-bowling allrounder broke former Australia captain Belinda Clark's 21-year-old record of the highest individual score in women's ODIs. En route to her unbeaten 232 as an opener against Ireland, Kerr, at 17 years and 243 days, also became the youngest - male or female - to score a double-century across formats in international cricket. She also went on to claim five wickets in the same match.

Born to former Welington players Robbie and Jo, Kerr's cricketing pedigree goes as far back as her maternal grandfather Bruce Murray, the former New Zealand Test batsman. Egged on to pursue legspin by her father, Kerr also opened the batting for Tawa College Boys 1st XI in Wellington's Premier Youth Grade, before playing for Wellington Blaze alongside Sophie Devine, one of her two cricketing idols besides Kane Williamson. A confident strokemaker, Kerr is the first player - male or female - to score a T20 century at the Basin Reserve, and the only one to have made two on that ground.

Barely a month past her 16th birthday, Kerr graduated from playing boys' grade cricket in school to making international debuts in both limited-overs formats, against Pakistan at home. In June 2017, she became New Zealand women's youngest representative in the World Cup, and three months later, she was the youngest female cricketer to bag a central contract with New Zealand Cricket.

It was her second ODI four-for - against Australia, in the Rose Bowl series - that, in the words of Australia captain Meg Lanning, established Kerr's reputation as "a star of the future". The haul included three of the top four wickets, including that of Lanning, who was bowled by the very first ball she faced against the teenager in international cricket.

With 10 wickets from six matches, Kerr finished as New Zealand's joint-highest wicket-taker in the 2017 World Cup, where New Zealand failed to make the knockouts. Less than a year later, Kerr bagged her maiden overseas league contract to represent the Southern Vipers in the ECB's Kia Super League.
Annesha Ghosh