WHITE FERNS Stretch Their Winning Record to Six at the Bay Oval

A double-header between the New Zealand BLACKCAPS and WHITE FERNS against their South African counterparts ended a busy international season, where Australia, England, West Indies and South Africa all played at the Bay Oval.

International T20 cricket is tailor-made for intimate cricket stadiums, such as the Bay Oval, where the fans sit on the grassy banks seemingly within touching distance of the action.
 
The ICC T20 International double-header kicked off with the WHITE FERNS opening the batting after winning the toss.
 
While the visitors had an immediate result in taking a wicket with the first ball of the match, Georgia Plummer and skipper Amelia Kerr set about anchoring an innings that finished with 190 runs for the loss of seven wickets on the scoreboard.
 
The pair combined for a partnership of 146 runs. Mellie Kerr top-scored with a hard-fought 78, while Georgia Plummer was no less dominant with the bat in belting 63 runs before being dismissed.
 
New Zealand quickly took control in the South African turn at bat by not letting the visitors build momentum. The WHITE FERNS were led by fourth-change bowler Sophie Devine, who grabbed four wickets at a cost of just 12 runs, as South Africa were restricted to 110/7.
 
Expectations were high as the BLACKCAPS entered the furnace of batting first against South Africa. Their highest score of 26 from Jimmy Neesham told the tale of the South African bowlers' domination of the encounter.
 
The New Zealand batters were humbled as they were bowled out for 91. South Africa easily reached the required target for the loss of just three wickets. CB Easterhuizen posted the highest score of the game with 45 runs from 48 balls.
 
T20 International cricket attracts the biggest crowds each season at the Bay Oval with near sold-out matches for every encounter.
 
Since the first T20I, when the White Ferns beat the West Indies Women on 15 March 2014, there have been 20 men’s and 7 women's matches, hosted at the Western Bay of Plenty international cricket venue.
 
The BLACKCAPS have won ten (Sri Lanka 3, West Indies 3, Bangladesh 3 & Pakistan), lost 6 (Australia 2, India 2, Pakistan, South Africa), and four not producing a result due to inclement weather. 
 
Remarkably, the WHITE FERNS have won six, including beating Australia and have dropped just a solitary encounter against the team from over the ditch. 
 
The twenty ICC Men’s T20Is at the Bay Oval have produced six centuries. Well-travelled New Zealand T20 batsman, Colin Munro, belted 101 runs against Bangladesh in the 2016/17 cricket year and repeated the feat with 104 in the BLACKCAPS victory over the West Indies, four seasons later.
 
BLACKCAPS T29 all-rounder, Glen Phillips, hit 108 against the West Indies visitors in the 2017/18 season.
 
Indian T20 captain, Suryakumar Yadav, showcased his immense batting skills with the Bay Oval's top T20I top score in hammering a unheated 111 runs against the hosts, three seasons ago.
 
The highly anticipated three-match T20I series between the BLACKCAPS and Australia, played at Blake Park this season, produced two three-figure scores. First up, Tim Robinson, celebrated his Bay Oval Black Cap call-up with 106 not out.
 
Mitch Marsh evened the Australian ledger when he posted an unbeaten 103 in the series last encounter. 

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ICC T20 International Double-Header, 15 March, 2026, at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui

New Zealand Women:190/7 (AC Kerr 78, GE Plimmer 63) defeated South Africa Women 110/7 (SFM Devine 4/12)
New Zealand Men: 91 (NH Mokoena 3/26) lost to South Africa 93/3 (CB Esterhuizen 45no)

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New Zealand T20I Record at the Bay Oval

BLACKCAPS: Played 20 / Won 10 / Lost 6 / No Result 4
WHITE FERNS: Played 7 / Won 6 / Lost 1​