Amelia, an icon not just for her all-round exploits but for her openness about mental health battles that have triggered winds of change within the system, had her arms aloft and eyes closed to soak in the moment before sister Jessica gave her a hug.
Izzy Gaze, among the youngest in the group and in her first World Cup, was so overjoyed she wasn’t sure whether to run to the dugout first or to meet her family who were in the stands. For fast bowler Lea Tahuhu, it was a call, possibly back home to her partner, former New Zealand batter Amy Satterthwaite, who took a step back post her retirement to be there for their kids, one of them barely four months old.
For Georgia Plimmer, it meant so much that the first person she turned to was Devine. Plimmer had averaged 9.11 in her first 18 T20Is and was only marginally better – averaging 13.80 – in her first nine ODIs up until last November. Devine and New Zealand coach Ben Sawyer’s backed her through this.
The belief’s huge at the moment, so we will celebrate tonight and enjoy that and spend some quality time together as a group. But yeah, we know that the job’s only half done now
Sophie Devine
Plimmer’s recent performances – she hit her maiden T20I fifty on the tour of Australia just before the World Cup – have somewhat justified Devine’s decision to bat lower down, not because she likes it, but because it’s what New Zealand need looking at the future, especially when Devine and Bates retire.
It’s these stories, of hope, grit, resolve and an unwavering never-say-die spirit that remained intact all through their 10-match losing streak coming into the tournament, that came together at that huddle which Devine wanted everyone to join in.
It was an exhibition of a leadership trait Devine has imbibed on the long road towards building the future, while allowing her younger players an environment to flourish even if results were as abysmal as they were. Those results are now beginning to show.
Last year in South Africa, Devine sat through a press conference asking questions about New Zealand’s decline and their inability to cross the group stages. Here in the UAE, the mood at the end of the group stage wasn’t as sombre. There were tears; these were happy tears.
Devine was swelled with emotions of a “proud mum”, not necessarily the “cool mum they want me to be,” for defying expectations and trying conditions to make that step up when “no one expected us to be here.”
In a way, the journey of 18 months hasn’t just been a journey in team building but one of constant readjustment for Devine. A readjustment of methods, mindsets, mental make-up and also player-management – essentially an “all-in-one” role with support from the team management.
Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine toast New Zealand’s semi-final sealing win•ICC/Getty Images
“When I stepped into the leadership and captaincy role I thought I could be everything to everyone and it’s just not possible,” she said. “And the great thing is with our leadership group is that we’ve got people that connect stronger with certain people and that’s natural when you’re in groups.
“So, for me to be able to lean on those people if I need them to check on someone or to have a conversation, to be able to lean on them if I feel like I’m not the best person to do that. That’s probably been one of my biggest learnings, because I want to fix things and I want to help people and I want to make sure everyone’s okay, but I’m also not that person for everyone.”
This is where Devine underlined how important her core group has been, of which Bates and Amelia have been an integral part. “I feel really fortunate that I’ve got that support around me,” she said. “It’s not managing people, it’s just relationships and caring about people.
“That’s one of our greatest values in this White Ferns group; we speak a lot about caring for one another as people before cricketers and I hope that you can see that out there with the way that we celebrate one another’s successes.
“We genuinely just love each other and love seeing each other succeed which makes it so much sweeter when you get results like you do tonight. The belief’s huge at the moment, so we will celebrate tonight and enjoy that and spend some quality time together as a group. But yeah, we know that the job’s only half done now.”
Shashank Kishore is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
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