The “Devine-Bates” T20I journey is approaching its ultimate climax, together fulfilling their dream of a maiden T20 World Cup Glory.
The veteran 37-year-old all-rounder Suzie Bates, hailing from Dunedin, Otago made her international debut on 4th March 2006 in an ODI against India.
Suzie Bates T20I journey for the White Ferns
She made her T20I debut on 10th August 2007 against South Africa. Over the years she has established herself as one of the prolific run-scorers for her side in the T20I format. She is also the overall leading run-scorer in the T20I format with 4,584 runs at a strike rate of 108.39 and an impressive average of 29.38 in 168 innings. Her tally of runs includes 28 half-centuries and one century for her side so far.
Her best performance with the bat for her side in the format came on 20th June 2018 against South Africa when she scored an unbeaten century (124* off 66 balls) at County Ground, Taunton. She played a crucial role in helping her side complete a comprehensive victory. Apart from her exploits with the bat, she has also picked up 59 wickets at an average of 22.94 and an economy of 6.58 in 89 innings. Her tally of wickets includes one four-wicket haul against Australia on 20th February 2011 at Queens Park, Invercargill and returned with brilliant match figures of 3-0-26-4 in her spell.
She currently holds the record for scoring the most number of half-centuries (29) in the T20I format. She also holds the record for the joint-most catches (4) in an innings in the T20I format and currently holds the most catches (86) in a career in the format. She has also played the most number of T20I matches (170) for her side and is also placed 2nd on the overall list behind the Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (177). She also surpassed former Indian legend and skipper Mithali Raj to become the player with the most number of international appearances (334 matches) in women’s cricket in the Final.
Her performances in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup over the years
She has also been leading the run-scoring charts in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup over the years, with 1,216 runs at a strike rate of 111.05 and an impressive average of 31.17 in 42 innings. Her tally of runs includes 8 half-centuries. Her best performance with the bat in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup came on 27th March 2014 against Pakistan in Sylhet. She scored an unbeaten half-century (94* off 61 balls), playing a pivotal role in helping her side complete a comprehensive victory. She was also awarded the Player of the Match for her sensational all-round performance (94* off 61 balls, and 3-0-18-1 with the ball).
Her best tournament with the bat came in the 4th edition of the tournament in the 4th edition of the tournament in the year 2014 in Bangladesh. She scored 228 runs at an impressive strike rate of 133.33 and a sensational average of 57 in five innings for her side.
Apart from her exploits with the bat, she has also been the joint 9th-highest wicket-taker for New Zealand in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup with 11 wickets at an average of 27.90 and an economy of 6.97 in 22 innings for her side so far. Her best performance with the ball in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup came on 18th October 2024 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the 2nd semi-final against the West Indies. She returned with match figures (1-0-6-1) in her spell.
She has also led New Zealand in the T20I format for seven years (from 2012 to 2018). She made her captaincy debut on 20th January 2012 against Australia. She has an impressive win percentage of 59.09 in the format as a skipper. She scored 2,104 runs at a strike rate of 114.34 and an impressive average of 36.27 in 64 innings. Her tally of runs includes 15 half-centuries and a century as a skipper. Apart from her exploits with the bat, she has picked up 26 wickets at an average of 26.03 and an economy of 6.68 in 44 innings.
Her best performance with the ball for her side as a skipper came on 5th March 2014 against the West Indies in Invercargill. She returned with brilliant match figures of 4-0-21-3 in her spell with the ball for her side.
Sophie Devine’s T20I journey for the White Ferns
Sophie Frances Monique Devine, hailing from Wellington made her international debut on 18th October 2006 in a T20I against Australia. Known for her power-hitting skills, over the years she established herself as a true match-winner with the bat as well as with the ball for her side. She has scored 3,391 runs at an impressive strike rate of 120.93 and a brilliant average of 28.25 in 139 innings with the bat for her side. She is overall the 6th highest run-scorer in the T20I format. The 2nd highest run-scorer for the White Ferns after Suzie Bates (4,584 runs). Her tally of runs includes 21 half-centuries and a century.
Her best performance with the bat for her side in the format came on 10th February 2020 against South Africa at the Basin Reserve, Wellington. She scored an outstanding century (105 off 65 balls), at a sensational strike rate of 161.53, playing a pivotal role in helping her side clinch a massive victory. She holds the record for the most consecutive half-centuries (6) (from 2nd to 22nd February 2020) in the T20I format. She is also the 5th fastest to 3,000 T20I runs (119 innings) in terms of the number of innings taken.
Apart from her exploits with the bat, she also picked up 117 wickets at an average of 19 and an impressive economy of 6.58 in 120 innings with the ball for her side. Her tally of wickets includes one four-wicket haul against the West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium on 31st March 2016 in the 2nd semi-final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2016. She returned with brilliant match figures (4-0-22-4) in her spell.
As a skipper, she has a decent win percentage of around 47% in the T20I format during her stint as a skipper. She had announced her decision to step down as a T20I skipper of the White Ferns after the conclusion of the 9th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.
Her performances in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup over the years
Skipper Sophie Devine announced her decision to step down as the skipper of the White Ferns in the T20I format after the conclusion of the 9th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. The White Ferns scripted a fairytale end to her captaincy stint by clinching their maiden ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title by defeating South Africa led by skipper Laura Wolvaardt by 32 runs in the final. The White Ferns ended a 24-year-long wait for an ICC Trophy, having last won a trophy in 2000.
She has an impressive win percentage (64%) as a skipper in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup over the years. She is the overall 5th highest run-scorer and the 2nd highest run-scorer for New Zealand after her fellow teammate Suzie Bates (1,216 runs) in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Her best performance with the bat for her side in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup came on 22nd February 2020 against Sri Lanka at the W.A.C.A. Ground, Perth when she scored an unbeaten half-century (75* off 55 balls). She played a crucial role in helping her side seal a convincing victory.
She was also the 4th highest run-scorer for New Zealand in the 9th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, with 114 runs at a strike rate of 107.54 and an impressive average of 28.50 in six innings for her side. Her tally of runs includes one unbeaten half-century (57* off 36 balls) against India on 4th October 2024 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. She was also awarded the Player of the Match for her brilliant match-winning performance with the bat.
Apart from her exploits with the bat, she is the 2nd-highest wicket-taker for New Zealand after Amelia Kerr (32 wickets) with 29 wickets to her name at an impressive average of 17.10 and an economy of 6.17 in 28 innings.
The Devine-Bates T20I legacy
The veteran 37-year-old all-rounder Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine (35) have been the flag bearers for the White Ferns over the years when it comes to promoting the women’s game in their country. The duo is one of the few other players who were a part of the inaugural edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England in the year 2009 and also represented their country in the recently concluded 9th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, played in UAE, hosted by Bangladesh.
The legendary pair has carried their team on their shoulders and are at the heart of the New Zealand women’s team in the white ball formats over the years. They are placed 3rd on the list of overall partnership runs (2,556 runs) at a decent average of 32.76 in 79 innings. Their tally of runs includes 13 half-century partnerships and five-century partnerships. They are leading the chart for New Zealand as far as partnership runs are concerned in the T20I format. The pair are breaking the bearers and proudly flying the flag against ageism, proving another proverb “Age is just a number” correct through the course of their cricketing journeys.
New Zealand’s maiden ICC Women’s T20 World Cup glory under skipper Sophie Devine’s last game as a leader in the T20I format, was the ultimate tribute and icing on the cake, adding another feather to their numerous achievements in the course of their glorious T20I careers till date.
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