by Rex Clementine
If someone tells you that Crystal Palace are going to win the Premier League this season, you’d probably laugh them off, right? You’d think they’ve lost the plot! Well, that’s exactly how you’d felt if someone hinted that New Zealand will lift the Women’s World Cup this year. The reason? Well, they came into the tournament having lost their last 11 games!
Yes, you heard that right. They were absolutely battered by England—5-0 in the T20s and 3-0 in the ODIs. And before that, Australia gave them a thrashing in a 3-0 T20 series. If someone handed you £50 and asked you to place a bet on New Zealand winning the World Cup, even the most die-hard Kiwi fan would probably stuff that cash into a savings account instead. The odds were about as slim as a pancake.
But the thing about World Cups is, you don’t face England and Australia every game. A bit of luck and a couple of seasoned pros stepping up in key moments can turn the whole thing on its head. And that’s exactly how New Zealand’s fairy-tale run unfolded.
They were, let’s admit, fortunate to avoid England and Australia in the knockout stages. But, boy, did they pull off some giant-killing acts along the way. Group A in the tournament was what you’d call the “group of death.” Yet, New Zealand got off to a flying start, taking down India in their opening match.
By the time the semi-finals rolled around, West Indies had done them a favour by booting England out of the tournament. And South Africa? Well, they caused the biggest shock of the event, eliminating three-time defending champions Australia, whose captain Alyssa Healy had been sidelined with an injury.
In the final, New Zealand cranked up the pressure on South Africa, posting a solid 158 batting first. Chasing eight runs per over? That’s a mountain even the South Africans couldn’t climb, though their time will surely come—they were fantastic throughout the tournament.
New Zealand, a nation that has produced cricketing legends like John Reid, Sir Richard Hadlee, Martin Crowe, Daniel Vettori, and Kane Williamson, can now add another star to its galaxy: Amelia Kerr. She’s a third-generation cricketer, with her grandfather Bruce Murray having played Test cricket for New Zealand and both her parents shining in domestic cricket. With cricket in her DNA, Kerr was unstoppable in the final. Her brisk 43 runs and her magical leg-spin, which claimed three wickets, made her the obvious choice for the Player of the Match.
But she wasn’t done. Kerr was also named Player of the Series, finishing with 135 runs and 15 wickets. She’s been nothing short of a revelation.
And for New Zealand’s veterans, like 37-year-old Suzie Bates and 35-year-old captain Sophie Devine, this victory must have felt sweeter than honey. After all the tough times and near misses over the years, they finally had their moment of glory—and boy, did they deserve it.
