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Follow UsMy favourite fact about New Zealand is that they have almost ten times as many sheep as humans. This tells you not just how small the human population in the Kiwi nation is but also how different they are from the rest of the world. Located in a far-flung southern corner of the world, their time zones make it even harder for them to join the global mainstream.
New Zealand cricket, by extension, suffers the same issues. They have a small system, and no matter how efficient they are in producing quality cricketers, they always end up remaining the perennial underdogs in all forms of the game. In recent times, that adage has become truer when it comes to their women's team - the White Ferns.
For the lack of a more polite term, the White Ferns were abysmal in T20Is, coming into this World Cup with ten losses on the trot. Even the fans and experts from lower-ranked Group A nations like Pakistan and Sri Lanka counted the game against New Zealand already as a win in the build up of the tournament.
So, what did New Zealand do to change their destiny, which was approaching them like impending doom? What did they do when they were in the Mariana Trench of self-confidence after being clobbered 3-0 across the ditch in Australia just a week before the T20 World Cup?
They hope. They believe. They prepare; and it’s their skipper, Sophie Devine, who rallies her troop like a general.
And boy, did she rally her troops well!
Right from the first game against India, which was their biggest and probably the most crucial win of the tournament, they played as if the whole of this team was much greater than the sum of its parts—a quality always present in the best Kiwi cricket teams.
And you know what was special about those parts that came together to win their nation its first-ever T20 World Cup?
Those parts were all different stories, which came together in this beautiful rainbow narrative that spread from Auckland to Dunedin after the biggest day in New Zealand cricket.
The colour that is shining the brightest in that rainbow is, of course, Suzie Bates. Who else could be that if not for the woman who has been synonymous with the White Ferns in the last two decades? It’s a bit shocking to see how this 37-year-old self-proclaimed “Grandma of the team” still remains its most energetic, most passionate member.
She might not be the best batter of the side. However, ask Devine once what this stalwart from Dunedin means for New Zealand and she’ll tell you that “it’s not just what she does on the field, it’s what she does off the park.” That’s how great a person Bates must be that Devine can keep aside her 334 international appearances and 10,302 runs while talking in a press conference about her.
Add to this the fact that she’s the oldest woman ever to win a T20 World Cup, and you’ll know what a trailblazer she is for any woman who looks to continue playing cricket at the highest level after 30.
The tears in her eyes today as she hugged Devine felt like the final cathartic ending of a decades-spanning epic drama directed by Steven Spielberg.
When it comes to the second of the three grandmas, Devine has already announced that she’s done with the captaincy of the team. However, not for a second downplay her efforts as a skipper because that’s where many pedigreed teams like Australia, India and England failed to use the resources at their disposal efficiently.
Imagine what a day it would have been for her as she touched the cold metal of the shimmering trophy, and her heart finally felt the kind of warmth she’s been craving in her decade-and-a-half-long career? Imagine the emotions as she hugged Bates and remembered her inception as a bowler who used to bat at 11 but developed into one of the most destructive batters in the game!
And how can you forget the third grandma, Lea Tahuhu, who has bowled for New Zealand even with a bionic knee? Her partner, Amy Satthertwaite, stays at home and cares for their kids after having a prolific batting career for the White Ferns, as Tahuhu travelled the world to bowl.
Imagine the happiness in that household today! Imagine how happy and proud Tahuhu will be when she narrates the story of her absence to her children! Imagine how fulfilled Satterthwaite would feel to see the team she played for win the ultimate trophy in the game!
At 37, 35, and 34, Bates, Devine and Tahuhu are the oldest to win a T20 World Cup. If the past of New Zealand cricket was uplifting, the present with its experience, belief, sheer willpower and exuberance of their future stars became the lifeline for their campaign.
Eden Carson, the 23-year-old off-spinner, just giggled herself into stardom one wicket at a time. Her almost ditzy giggles shrouded the seriousness of her achievements, as she was the most lethal powerplay bowler in the tournament across all 10 teams. The veterinary nurse from Dunedin became the face of New Zealand’s rise in the World Cup after a forgettable 10-match losing streak.
It’s this mixture of a smart head, elite skills, unbridled happiness and unrestricted emotions that make Carson such a fascinating character in a team that’s very soon going to see the departure of their senior most players.
Meanwhile, Georgia Plimmer, who was part of New Zealand’s under-19 T20 World Cup team last year, played the aggressor’s role at the top and dictated New Zealand’s approach with the bat. The 20-year-old alloyed with the 37-year-old Bates at the top, and right from the first game against India, they never let the intensity down, even in the game they lost to Australia.
Oh, and don’t you forget about Rosemary Mair, the pacer who outperformed herself and bowled spectacularly well on tracks that weren’t exactly made for pace bowling.
With Mellie Kerr being the future leader, New Zealand would have some really high-calibre youngsters with a strong temperament and experience of winning the biggest glory in the game.
It’s this amalgamation of the old and young cricketers in this team that made New Zealand achieve something that hardly anyone thought was possible at the beginning of their campaign.
It’s this ‘whole is greater than the sum of its part’ energy that arranged a date with destiny for the White Ferns. A date when New Zealand proved once and for all that all sports analysis is nothing but just a piece of paper waiting to be burnt under the magnifying glass of sporting glory.
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