Bates backs Devine to lead NZ well
Suzie Bates had to think when the White Ferns captaincy unexpectedly came up for grabs last year, but she’s confident the team have found the right person in Sophie Devine.
The all-rounder led the side for six years from 2012 to 2018, but stepped aside in September that year, wanting to focus solely on performing in top-level cricket.
Amy Satterthwaite replaced Bates and led the team at the T20 World Cup in the West Indies that November and for the home summer that followed, but is currently taking a break for the game, having welcomed her first child to the world earlier this month alongside wife and teammate Lea Tahuhu.
That created a leadership vacancy for the second time in the space of 12 months and while Bates did consider a return, she said Devine, who got the nod last week, was an excellent choice.
‘‘I stepped away and Amy was doing such a great job and I think Sophie, with the Twenty20 World Cup coming up and her performances, is the right person to lead the group.
‘‘ I did have a little think about it, but I’m happy on the other side now.’’
Devine will lead the White Ferns for the first time on Saturday at Eden Park Outer Oval, where they will face South Africa in the first of three one-day internationals. ‘‘It’s really exciting for her,’’ Bates said yesterday.
‘‘Obviously in the last 12 months she’s led by example with her performances and she’s a really aggressive player.
‘‘I haven’t played under her before as a captain, but I’m just excited to see how she leads the group for the first time.’’
The ODIs against South Africa are the White Ferns’ first matches since last summer and will be followed by a five-match Twenty20 series – the lead-in to this year’s World Cup in Australia which starts at the end of February.
Bates and Devine were joined by international team-mates Maddy Green, Amelia Kerr, Katey Martin, Rachel Priest, and Tahuhu in starting the summer in the Women’s Big Bash League across the Tasman, getting valuable experience in Australian conditions.
They then all took part in the entirety of the Super Smash, with Devine in particular starring as the Wellington Blaze won their third title in a row while boasting a perfect record.
Bates said it was massive to have had such a heavy diet of Twenty20 ahead of the World Cup. ‘‘It’s not very often you have such a big buildup with Twenty20 cricket.’’