Amelia Kerr and Georgia Plimmer led New Zealand to a dominant 80-run victory over South Africa in the first T20I match. Kerr scored 78 off 44 balls, hitting 11 fours and two sixes, while Plimmer contributed 63 off 44 balls, including five fours and three sixes. Their 146-run partnership is the fourth-highest for any New Zealand wicket in women's T20Is. Sophie Devine took four wickets for 12 runs, and Jess Kerr took two wickets for 13 runs, restricting South Africa to 110 for 7. Amelia Kerr was named Player of the Match for her brilliant batting performance. New Zealand's bowlers sealed the deal ! Jess Kerr and Sophie Devine did the damage, taking 2 and 4 wickets respectively, restricting South Africa to 110/7. That win gives NZ a 1-0 lead in the 5-match series. Kerr and Plimmer were unstoppable ! Amelia Kerr's 78 off 44 balls, with 11 fours and 2 sixes, set the tone. She was innovative and precise, finding gaps and clearing boundaries. That no-ball from Reyneke backfired, giving Kerr an extra chance to unleash.Plimmer - who had missed the Zimbabwe ODIs with a shoulder injury - took time to settle, reaching 37 off her first 32 balls. The momentum shifted after the halfway mark when she lofted Nonkululeko Mlaba for six and followed it up with two more off Chloe Tryon in the 13th over. South Africa's bowlers struggled to find their groove, except for Masabata Klaas who kept them in the game. The others, especially the spinners, got punished by Kerr and Plimmer. Laura Wolvaardt's decision to use eight bowlers didn't quite pay off. However, South Africa fought back well at the death to keep New Zealand below 200, claiming the last six wickets for 44 runs after the early damage from Plimmer and Amelia Kerr. Klaas, who had conceded just four runs in her first two overs, returned in the 14th to remove Kerr with a well-disguised legcutter. She struck again in her next over with another slower ball to dismiss Brooke Halliday, finishing as the standout bowler with figures of 4-0-15-2. South Africa's chase was off to a rocky start. Jess Kerr struck early, dismissing openers Sune Luus and Laura Wolvaardt in the fourth over, and they managed just 19 runs in the powerplay. The scoring rate struggled even more after the field spread, with Tazmin Brits' 29 runs off 35 balls being a highlight, albeit with some mistimed deliveries. Devine was the star with the ball, perfectly executing her pace-off deliveries and providing crucial breakthroughs. She began with a tidy three-run over, removed Tryon in the 12th over, kept Brits quiet before dismissing her in the 15th over, and returned in the 19th to pick up two more wickets. Her figures of 4 for 12 were the best of her T20I career. However, Bates was given the ball in the second over. She started with a wide and conceded six runs and returned in the 14th over and finished with figures of 0 for 17. While this is just the start, we could see more of Bates with the ball than the bat in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup in June, as New Zealand explore her as a key bowling option. New Zealand 190 for 7 (Amelia Kerr 78, Plimmer 63, Klaas 2-15, de Klerk 2-32) beat South Africa 110 for 7 (Brits 29, Devine 4-12, Jess Kerr 2-13) by 80 runs