Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates are a special duo. They are two of only six players to have featured in every single edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup. The veteran batters have seen not just New Zealand cricket change its approach from a longer version to the T20I game but have seen the ecosystem around the world bloom in the format, having watered some of the plants themselves.
The past few years have seen several stalwarts of the women’s game walk away from the fold, leaving massive vacuums in their respective setups. Shabnim Ismail’s retirement has left Marizanne Kapp – an eight-time World Cupper herself – with a heavier workload in the South African setup. Pooja Vastrakar has seen a system, for long, trying to fit her into the mould of Jhulan Goswami thanks to her speed. The story is similar across the world. Few teams ace that transition process like Meg Lanning’s Australia did, others are trying to follow suit – look at what Chamari Athapaththu is trying to set in place in Sri Lanka for instance.
Devine and Bates have been keeping tabs too. The pair, along with fellow senior Lea Tahuhu – who has seen some of the frostier ages of cricket for the White Ferns – have banded together with the realisation that the sun is ready to set for them sooner rather than later, but the light must not go out on New Zealand cricket.
“I think we’ve been really honest and open about the fact that me and Susie aren’t getting any younger,” Devine said ahead of their World Cup opener against India.
“We actually had a dinner the other night – myself, Sophie and Suze – where we sort of sat and reflected on the journey we’ve had together and that we’ve been at a fair few of these World Cups together,” Tahuhu told Sportstar.
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“Our journey has sort of changed a little bit now. I guess it’s about passing on knowledge as much as you can and bringing the next generation through as well. We’re certainly towards the end of our careers, although we’ve still got a few more in us yet, I think.”
Adapt, accept, achieve
A way for Devine to contribute personally to that was to drop herself down the order to allow players like Georgia Plimmer a chance to own that opening slot and find success batting there.
“We think it’s better to do that with her at the top of the order along with one of us rather than both of us (Devine and Bates) so that when we do call time on our careers, you’re not trying to find two new openers. You just need one to get in up top with Georgia,” the White Ferns skipper added.
Cricket has come a long way from when Bates and Devine were fresh faces in the ecosystem. The lines of experience crease their foreheads, and there is pragmatism in accepting and planning for a future without them. It’s not like a World Cup by itself is less stressful, but what needs to be done, must be done.
“Doesn’t matter if it’s your first or your ninth. I think this opportunity to represent your country on the world stage is something that should be really special to every single player at this tournament.”Sophie Devine
“I prefer the term ‘experienced’ rather than old, thank you,” Devine quipped after her side thrashed India by 58 runs in Dubai.
“It’s been highlighted that me, Suze and Lea have played a fair few of these World Cups. This group is a special bunch. I don’t think I’ve been in a better environment in terms of how much love and care there is amongst the players and the support staff, too. Certainly, us old, experienced girls (smirks) want to make this tournament as special as possible because there’s probably not too many more of these World Cups left for us,” Devine added.
The match against India was a solid step in that direction. The Plimmer-Bates pairing clicked and put India under the pump from the word go.
Faith first, follow-up next
“Knowing that I was going to go out there and face the first ball, I thought it was really important that we set a positive tone,” Bates revealed.
“We’ve talked about how we want to play and how we want to start. Georgia and I haven’t quite been able to execute that recently. So to be able to do it in that game, get off to a good start, have that partnership and give Sophie and Melie (Amelia Kerr) a chance in the middle to adjust to conditions, it was so important.
Knowing that I was going to go out there and face the first ball, I thought it was really important that we set a positive tone, said New Zealand’s Suzie Bates. | Photo Credit: AP
“For Georgia to be able to play like that in one of the biggest matches of her career was absolutely brilliant. The 50 she got against Australia in the build-up gave her a lot of confidence, and she’s just having so much fun out there in the middle. So it’s nice when you’ve got one of the oldest players and one of the youngest players in a partnership. She can teach me, I guess, the joy of youth, and I’ve got a little bit of experience to keep her calm,” she added.
Plimmer and Bates have opened in eight of New Zealand’s 14 T20Is this year, and the 67-run stand against India was the culmination of plenty of faith and of all the chips falling in place.
Tahuhu, with her wealth of experience, has cherished time on tours with the younger crop of bowlers coming through. She has been a little expensive with the ball in the format, taking 13 wickets in 11 games so far, but realises that her role is to set up the bowlers after her. She did so quite adeptly in the win against India, playing perfect second fiddle to Rosemary Mair. The pair shared seven wickets between each other. Tahuhu took three.
Beyond the boundary
Calmness is a key part of what Devine, Bates and Tahuhu are trying to make the norm. In the bowling department, allrounder Amelia Kerr has been a force to reckon with. The 23-year-old’s extensive travels around the world for franchise cricket have made cricket almost an addiction. Her highs prop the entire team up, but the senior core has been wary of the downside.
“For Melie (Amelia), it’s probably not on the field, it’s off the field and making sure she’s got that balance right. She’d play as much cricket as she can, so sometimes it’s about us pulling her back a little bit, knowing that she’s going to have a really long career. It’s hard. Melie loves cricket. So, it can be a bit of a struggle at times. But I think it is really important that we’re having those discussions with her to find that balance.”
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Few know about how precious balance is as much as Tahuhu does. She’s witnessed the ups and downs of New Zealand cricket with a seat in the front row for over a decade. In that time, New Zealand pioneered equal pay for men and women. The White Ferns also brought out a maternity policy for its players, which came at the same time as Tahuhu and her partner, former NZ captain Amy Satterthwaite, announced they were expecting their first child. Satterthwaite, who was then the captain, carried their daughter Grace without losing pay or her contract. Tahuhu was eligible for time off for a fortnight to welcome her little one.
In the four years that have followed, we’ve seen similar support come through for players from the boards of Australia, Pakistan and England.
Players like Tahuhu, Satterthwaite and others have opened the system to one kind of balance. Players who would have otherwise had to bid the game farewell as parents are now armed with shopping lists off the field on tour and celebrations on the field for their children. There’s also another kind of balance in play. Tahuhu revealed that the kids coming through the ranks now come with that ethic coded in them, that cricket may be passion and livelihood, but it doesn’t have to be all life is about.
“I think they’re quite balanced now when they’re coming in. It’s great to see that I think that they’re not completely wrapped up, and they’ve got things outside, hobbies and different bits and pieces going on. Some are studying too. What this also means is cricket is a game that everyone can and is able to participate in (with everything else going on).”
For the love of the game
With the opulence and lure of franchise cricket increasing as the years go by, these three players – who have featured in league tournaments around the globe from their infancy to the current spurt they find themselves in – underline the value of moderation.
“It’s been incredible, the way that the game’s grown in the past five years with different franchise leagues and the opportunities that it’s giving so many different people. I think there’s always that fine line, though. We’ve got to make sure that international cricket is always the pinnacle. The women’s game is probably okay with that at the moment, but the more leagues that do pop up, it’ll be a conversation we have to have. That said, more cricket only means more players come into the system, and the game grows stronger faster,” Tahuhu explained.
However, the sheen of a World Cup trophy is still the brightest in the ecosystem.
Only one player in this squad did not play a senior World Cup before - keeper Izzy Gaze. Every other member has had a go at the hardships of a world event and the disappointments that have become the norm for the Kiwis. It has, therefore become imperative for the core to also keep reminding the group of why they are there in the first place.
“I guess any time that you get to go to a World Cup, any time you get to pull on the black shirt and have New Zealand sitting on the front, it’s just excitement and just absolute pride. There’s nothing quite like a World Cup. Everything’s a little bit more enhanced and magnified. You’re living in a little bit more of a bubble, and you’re playing a different team every couple of days. And so you’ve got to be able to adapt and adjust quickly. And I think that’s the positive thing that I think there’s only one person in our group that hasn’t been to a World Cup. So everyone’s got a little bit of that experience now behind them,” Tahuhu added.
The White Ferns were the runner-up in the first two editions of the T20 showpiece but have failed to make the knockouts in the last three chapters. The win against India is just the start.
With strong bowling teams like Sri Lanka and Pakistan still waiting in the wings, Devine and Co. have a tough job on hand but will hope dreams carry them through.
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