From schoolgirl dreamer to World Cup champion, Melie Kerr bridges New Zealand's eras – ESPN

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When Melie Kerr was in school, she wrote stories about winning a World Cup with Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates. If there was ever proof of the power sports stars have to inspire the next generation, it’s right here, in this T20 World Cup champion New Zealand team.
On Sunday night in Dubai, Bates and Devine celebrated New Zealand’s maiden T20 World Cup title at the ages of 37 and 35 respectively. Alongside them was Kerr, player of the final and player of the tournament but also, at the age of 24, the ultimate bridge between their generation and a band of youngsters the White Ferns hope will carry them forward.
“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.”
Kerr put her body on the line with bat, ball and in the field for a 32-run victory over South Africa, who finished as runners-up for the second straight time in the T20 World Cup.
She anchored the White Ferns to 158 for 5 with a 38-ball 43 and took three wickets, including two of South Africa’s most dangerous batters in Laura Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch, despite cramping up badly after she slid in the outfield to stop a boundary early in the Proteas’ run-chase.
Kerr’s 15 wickets for the tournament was a record for a bowler in a single edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup and included 3 for 24 against South Africa, 3 for 14 against Pakistan and 4 for 26 in the White Ferns’ only defeat of the tournament, in the group stage to six-time champions Australia, who were knocked out in the semi-finals by South Africa.
Devine described Kerr at the trophy presentation as “a once-in-a-generation player” and later, in the post-match press conference, told her: “What you’re able to achieve out there is pretty bloody cool”.
“I just hope that it instils belief and confidence in these young ones,” Devine said of the victory. “We’ve seen over the last three or four weeks their confidence grow and as a leader that’s what you want is to see, that growth.
“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 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.”
Devine has played her last T20 International as captain, having announced before this World Cup that she would step down but continue to lead the ODI team.
As Maddy Green picked up Ayabonga Khaka’s attempted yorker and thumped it over deep midwicket for six, Devine leaned back in her seat with a satisfied smile. With one ball left in New Zealand’s innings she couldn’t have asked for much more from her batters.
They had attacked the powerplay, initially through 20-year-old opener Georgia Plimmer, who might have perished in the second over but had charged and pulled Marizanne Kapp for two fours in three balls to set the tone, taking South Africa on at their own game.
Her dismissal brought Kerr to the crease and she held the White Ferns’ innings together between Bates’ solid platform of 32 from 31 balls and a pivotal 38 off 28 by Brooke Halliday, with whom she shared a 57-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
With openers Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits having bossed the powerplay though much of the tournament and No.3 Bosch scoring an unbeaten 74 in the semi-finals, they had the firepower to chase down the target and, at 47 without loss after six overs, things were looking good for the Proteas.
But then Kerr combined with young spinners Fran Jonas and Eden Carson to all but end their challenge.
Jonas removed Brits in the seventh over then Wolvaardt picked out Bates at extra cover trying to hit Kerr inside-out, Bates’ first of three catches playing a record 334th T20I. Kerr then had Bosch caught behind by 20-year-old wicketkeeper Izzy Gaze after Devine consented to a review and an edge was found, and Carson removed Kapp, caught at deep midwicket by Plimmer.
No one else in South Africa’s line-up besides Wolvaardt with 33 reached 20 as New Zealand seamer Rosemary Mair picked up 3 for 25 in the Proteas’ most disappointing performance of the campaign.
Their late fade was in stark contrast to New Zealand who, apart from their loss to Australia, built upon their upset of India in the first match of the tournament. That broke a run of 10 straight defeats in T20Is leading into the World Cup.
At the moment of victory in the title match, after Carson drew a swing and a miss from South Africa’s No.10 Nonkululeko Mlaba, Devine and Bates made a bee-line for each other.
They shared a long embrace, just the two of them, then along came their fellow White Ferns to envelope them, fittingly wrapped up at the very core of this champion team.

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