How cricket's grandmas inspired New Zealand to T20 World Cup glory | Cricket news

Cricketer Amelia Kerr, whose all-round performance in the final of the ICC Womens T20 World Cup led New Zealand to victory, has credited her senior teammates Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates with inspiring her to take up the sport as a schoolgirl.

Kerr, who top-scored with 43 as New Zealand posted 158-5 in Sunday's final in Dubai and then took 3-24 with her leg-spin bowling as South Africa trailed by 32 runs, said she wrote stories about winning the trophy with Devine and Bates after watching them in the final of the 2010 tournament.

The then 10-year-old Kerr watched desperately on television as New Zealand lost the final to Australia by just three runs.

It was a moment that sparked a love for the game and a desire to put things right, preferably with her two heroes by her side.

I was inspired to be a White Fern watching the 2010 World Cup in front of Sophie, an emotional Kerr said at her post-final press conference.

The 24-year-old finished the tournament as the leading wicket-taker with 15 and collected both the Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament awards.

Widely regarded as New Zealand's greatest cricketing talent, Kerr made her international debut when she was just 16.

From then on I stood at the nets with my father and pretended to be batting with Sophie and Suzie.

And I was in the team so young, playing with my role models who have been so good to me, two of New Zealand's best ever cricketers.

I just think back to myself as a child. When I was in creative writing at primary school, I wrote about winning a World Cup with Sophie and Suzie.

I don't necessarily believe you earn things in sport, but if there are two people who do, it's Sophie and Suzie.

The grandmothers came, saw and conquered #T20World Cup pic.twitter.com/TCmqHBcwhF

T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) October 20, 2024

Eighteen years of joy and heartbreak

Devine, 35, and Bates, 37, are two of the elder stateswomen on the squad, along with 34-year-old Lea Tahuhu.

Each of them left their mark on the final. Bates made 32 and took three catches, while fast bowler Tahuhu squeezed the South African middle order.

Devine only scored six, but her leadership was excellent and brought out the best in the team's younger players such as Kerr.

We joke about being grandmothers and mothers and all that, but you feel a real sense of pride when you see them rise up and take opportunities. Melie [Kerr] Today was incredible, said the skipper.

The fact that we can win it is just nice to have that. It's always something you want to have when you're done with your career.

Devine's first action after the win was to hug her fellow grandmother Bates, who has now played 334 white ball internationals since her debut in 2006.

Suze and I have been through a lot together, she said.

Devine and Bates have played in all nine T20 World Cups since the first in 2009.

We've been through a lot of haircuts together, hers a lot worse than mine.

But to be able to share it, to also be close to each other and share that moment, that embrace, that's 17, 18 years of joy, heartbreak and happiness shared in that moment. It was just wonderful to share that with her.

Everyone loves a champion

The White Ferns will split the $2.3 million prize money, about $155,000 per team member, a life-changing windfall for players who have struggled for years to achieve financial equality with their male counterparts.

New Zealand's first-ever victory in the shortest format of the Cricket World Cup was a big surprise. The White Ferns had lost 10 consecutive T20 matches before beating South Africa in a warm-up match.

That pre-tournament success proved a turning point for New Zealand, who defeated India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, losing only to Australia on their way to the semi-finals.

This means the world to us, Bates said after the game. If you play team sports, you want to become world champion.

We fought our way back to the top. Devie was so excellent, led this team so calmly and believed in us. Well, we'll probably hug for longer later, because there have been some dark times when only the people in the [team] understand.

With the men's cricket team also recording a spectacular win in Bengaluru earlier in the day, their first Test win in India since 1988, Sunday was perhaps New Zealand's best day ever on the cricket field, although Devine hopes there is more to come.

“I really hope that tonight's victory can inspire the next generation of not only young girls but also young boys to pick up a cricket bat, a cricket ball,” she said.

It still feels quite surreal at the moment and hopefully the impact of what we have achieved will be long-lasting and far-reaching. Everyone loves a winner, right?