The New Zealand women’s cricket team, also known as the White Ferns, created history, as they became the first cricket team of the country to win a T20 World Cup. On Sunday, New Zealand beat South Africa by 32 runs in Dubai as they successfully defended 158. After the emphatic win, captain Sophie Devine and Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament, Amelia Kerr addressed the post-match press conference.
A happy and content Devine said, “Tonight’s victory can inspire young girls and young boys [in New Zealand] to pick up cricket bat and cricket ball. The impact of what we have achieved today [final] is going to be long lasting.”
Throughout the tournament, the New Zealand bowlers were exceptional as they were not only economical but also were able to pick wickets at regular intervals. “We have a good spin group [Kerr, Jonas, Carson] and also skilled pace bowlers [Mair and Tahuhu]. As a captain it is nice to have different skill sets in one group,” Devine admitted.
She also applauded the role of support staff in her team’s success. “When we were not doing well, they [support staff] were criticised and slammed by everyone. But they always stood by each one of us. They have helped our team grow. They work hard to do all the planning. They are the unsung heroes in our win,” Devine said.
It has been a fairy tale ending for New Zealand in this ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. But the way they started cannot be forgotten. They beat India in their World Cup opener by 58 runs in what was a statement win. Devine stated, “The performance against India set the tone for us.”
Devine may have won the player of the match award in that match against India, but it was all-rounder Amelia Kerr, all the way from there, playing an important role in her team’s success in this competition. Batting at number three, she scored 135 runs in six matches, while with the ball, the leg spinner snapped 15 wickets to finish the tournament as the leading wicket-taker.
About 14 years back, this 24-year-old all-rounder of New Zealand had penned her dream. “When I was at primary school, I wrote about winning the World Cup with Sophie [Devine] and Suzie [Bates]. I was inspired to be a White Fern when I watched the 2010 World Cup. Since that day, I pretended to be batting with Sophie in the nets when I was playing with my dad,” expressed Kerr.
New Zealand came into this T20 World Cup on the back of 11 straight losses and the way they turned the tables around was nothing less than commendable.
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