‘Grandmas’ show the way for New Zealand in epic underdog story

“We’re the grandmas of the team.”
Suzie Bates had said before New Zealand’s summit clash in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, referring to her, Sophie Devine and Lea Tahuhu.
Bates, Devine and Tahuhu are veterans, having served the White Ferns for plenty of years. Amongst them, Bates and Devine seemed to have played forever, having taken part in all nine editions of the mega event. The stage was perfectly set for a fairytale ending for them. Devine could not have expected for a better platform to finish her stint as the New Zealand T20I skipper.
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Bates had gone past Mithali Raj to become the most-capped player in women’s internationals. There’s a high probability that Bates, Devine and Tahuhu will not return for another edition of the tournament. From so many aspects, New Zealand had enough reasons to go all out in the grand finale, and they did not let their ‘grandmas’ down.
At the same venue where the Kane Williamson-led Black Caps fell short against Australia three years ago, the White Ferns made sure of going all the way. Not only did they beat South Africa, but hammered them by 32 runs in a relatively one-sided final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. At no point in the high-voltage game did they look under pressure.
Before the World Cup hit the centre-stage, very few would have given New Zealand a chance to advance beyond the group stages, let alone lifting the cup. They lost 10 matches on the bounce and looked all over the place. But with less expectation on their shoulders, Devine’s women put forth their A-game to bury the ghosts of 2009 and 2010 when they lost the finals to England and Australia.
With India, Australia, England amongst the strong contenders, New Zealand needed something more than inspiring to go the distance. It needed their ‘grandmas’, their stalwarts to put their hands up and they passed the stiff test with flying colours. Devine, Tahuhu and Bates showed that Old is ‘indeed’ gold. They brought forth all their experience to shoulder their team past the finish line.
Devine set the tone for the White Ferns after her magical 57-run knock against Harmanpreet Kaur’s India. It was their 58-run win over the 2020 runners-up that gave New Zealand belief that they could beat the best. It was the game that helped them get their acts together, after which they hardly looked back.
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Bates showed why she is the all-time leading run-scorer in Women’s T20Is. Aged 38, Bates finished the World Cup as the joint-highest run-scorer for New Zealand along with her opening partner Georgia Plimmer. She saved her best for the last, getting her highest score of 32 in the final.
The stunt that Devine pulled off by giving Bates the last over in the semis against West Indies paid off as well. Tahuhu wasn’t far behind as she unleashed hell on the Indian batters with a three-wicket haul after which she lent support to the other bowlers in the remaining games.
Even as their veterans stood up, the youngsters in the New Zealand team also played a major part. Amelia Kerr, one of the most enigmatic all-rounders in the women’s game, won the Player of the Match in the final and bagged the award for the Player of the Tournament as well.
23-year-old Eden Carson was entrusted to bowl in the power-play, and she kept opposition batters in check, picking up nine wickets in the championship. 20-year-old Plimmer notched a match-winning fifty against Sri Lanka along with a vital 33-run knock against the West Indies in the semis.
Rosemary Mair recorded her career-best T20I figures against India, after which she took three wickets in the final. Kerr was arguably their standout player, but it was the contributions from others that ended up making a massive difference.
‘Grandmas’ Devine, Bates and Tahuhu are well and truly at the fag end of their careers. But with youngsters stepping up, New Zealand are entering a new era with a bright future in the offing.