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Amelia Kerr penned stories about winning the World Cup with Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates when she was in school. This New Zealand T20 World Cup winning team is the best example of the ability sports stars have to motivate the next generation.
At the ages of 37 and 35, respectively, Bates and Devine celebrated New Zealand’s first-ever T20 World Cup victory on Sunday night in Dubai. Beside them stood Kerr, the player of the tournament and the final, who at twenty-four is the perfect link between their generation and a group of young people that New Zealand hopes will carry them on.
“I was inspired to be a White Fern watching that 2010 World Cup, which Sophie was at, and from that moment I was at the nets with my dad pretending I was batting with Sophie and Suzie,” Kerr said.
“Being in the team so young and playing with my role models who have been so good to me, and two of New Zealand’s greatest-ever cricketers, I don’t necessarily believe you deserve things in sport, but if any two people do, it’s Sophie and Suzie.
“I just think back to myself as a kid that was batting with Sophie and Suzie in the nets and when I was at primary school in creative writing, I wrote about winning a World Cup with Sophie and Suzie.
“So, to be here now, having done that, I think that’s probably why I was so emotional out on the field in the moment. It’s something that’s so special, when I think back to my younger self, and to be here now and to do it with two of New Zealand’s best ever.”
In order to defeat South Africa, who placed second for the second time in the T20 World Cup, by 32 runs, Kerr risked everything with the bat, the ball and the pitch.
Despite suffering severe cramps after sliding in the outfield to avoid a boundary early in the Proteas’ run chase, she took three wickets, including those of two of South Africa’s most dangerous batsmen, Laura Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch, and held them to 158 for 5.
In the Women’s T20 World Cup, Kerr’s 15 wickets overall set a record for bowlers in a single tournament. She took 3 wickets against South Africa, 3 wickets against Pakistan, and 4 wickets in New Zealand’s lone loss.
“I know we joke about being grandmas and mums and whatnot, but you feel a real sense of pride. Seeing them stand up and take opportunities, and to take moments like Melie [Amelia] today was unbelievable.
“For us to be able to win it, it’s just nice to have that. It’s always something that you want to have when you finish your career – I’m not retiring by the way – but to be able to say that you’re a World Cup winner is something that’s really special and to be able to share it with this group of players is obviously something that you hold on to the rest of your career.”
Georgia Plimmer, a 20-year-old opener for New Zealand, may have lost his wicket in the second over, but she set the tone by charging and pulling Marizanne Kapp for two fours in three balls, forcing South Africa to play at their own game.
Following her removal, Kerr took over at the crease, and between Bates’ reliable 32 off 31 balls and Brooke Halliday’s crucial 38 off 28—with whom she established a 57-run partnership for the fourth wicket—she held New Zealand’s innings together.
Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits, who had dominated the powerplay for most of the tournament, and No. 3 Bosch’s match-winning 74 in the semi-finals gave them the firepower to chase down the mark, and with the Proteas at 47 for no loss after six overs, things were looking good.
However, Kerr then joined forces with rookie spinners Eden Carson and Fran Jonas to virtually terminate their challenge.
Their late collapse stood in sharp contrast to New Zealand, who, aside from their defeat against Australia, improved after surprising India in the opening game of the competition. That ended a streak of ten consecutive T20I losses that had continued into the World Cup.
Devine and Bates headed straight for each other on the moment of triumph in the final match, while Carson drew a swing and a miss from South Africa’s No. 10 Nonkululeko Mlaba.
After a lengthy embrace between the two of them, their teammates arrived and encircled them, perfectly encapsulating the essence of this victorious squad.