Bright future tipped for New Zealand teen

She's just 18 years old, has the ability to deceive the world's best batters with her wrong'un and holds the record for highest individual score in a women's ODI match.

Teen cricket prodigy Amelia Kerr is set to ply her wares in Sunday's third and final Commonwealth Bank ODI in Melbourne, as she aims to help New Zealand pick up a consolation win.

For those lucky enough to be at Junction Oval, they'll get a glimpse at a player who's already carved her name in the record books and who, if her captain is correct, is likely to take the cricket world by storm in the coming years.

Kerr, a leg-spinner who hails from Wellington and whose parents both played representative cricket, made her White Ferns debut aged just 16 in late 2016.

She's already competed at two World Cups – the 2017 50-over event in England and last year's T20 tournament in the West Indies – and has 52 international caps to her name despite only turning 18 last October.

From the start she had heads turning with her variations and ability to spin the ball both ways – notably bowling Australia captain Meg Lanning and star batter Elyse Villani with consecutive deliveries during the 2017 Rose Bowl series.

But it was her feats against Ireland in mid-2018 that properly put the then-17-year-old on the map.

Given the chance to open the batting against their unfancied rivals, Kerr struck an unbeaten 232 from 145 deliveries, becoming the youngest player – male or female – to score an international double ton, while breaking Australia legend Belinda Clark's record ODI score in the process.

She followed up by collecting 5-17 with the ball in one of the greatest individual all-round displays.

But in a batting line-up that possesses the likes of Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine and Amy Satterthwaite, Kerr is generally found lower down the order in international cricket.

And while her next highest ODI score is an unbeaten 81 – the rest under 31 – developing into a genuine allrounder is top of her list of goals.

It's that potential to improve, both with the bat and the ball, that has New Zealand skipper Satterthwaite excited.

"She's certainly a very exciting prospect and I think she's got a lot more in her too," Satterthwaite said.

"I think she can bowl better than she has been, to be perfectly honest, so it's exciting to see her attacking wickets and that's one of the positive reasons we have her in the side.

"But I think we can get more and more out of her and that's also exciting, to see what we can get out of her in the future."

Kerr picked up 2-50 at the WACA Ground last week in the trans-Tasman series opener, before producing a destructive over against Australia in Adelaide last Sunday.

In the space of four balls she removed Beth Mooney, Villani and Ashleigh Gardner to finish with figures of 3-30.

"She's a quality leg-spinner, no doubt about it," Australia wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy said.

"She seems like a really competitive cricketer, which is what you want in your side whether it's with the bat or ball.

"She's s quite skillful with her leg-spinner and she's got a pretty impressive wrong'un as well.

"For us it's about managing her, I thought we did that pretty well in that first game but we probably let her back into it a bit in Adelaide.

"There's no doubt she's quality and she's one we'll have to be wary of in the game moving forward."

Australia boast their own teenage leg-spinner in Georgia Wareham, who's rapid rise up the ranks saw her make her international debut against New Zealand in last September's T20I series.

The Victorian admits she watches Kerr carefully, looking for any tricks she might be able to add into her own game.

"(Kerr's) bowled pretty great this series and fooled a few of us with her wrong'un," Wareham said.

"She's bowling a treat and she's definitely an exciting player.

"I think the confidence she has with bowling her variations is something you don't see too much of, that's something I'd probably like to take into my game and back myself with my variations."

The third and final ODI on Sunday, beginning 10.50am local time, will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and the Seven Network and can be live streamed via Kayo, with news, scores and highlights on cricket.com.au and the CA Live App.