Long-term lure of World Cup gives Bates the motivation to go on
White Ferns veteran Suzie Bates says the lure of a home Cricket World Cup in 2022 will help motivate her as she faces up to nine months on the sidelines with a shoulder injury.
The 33-year-old is waiting out two weeks in an isolation hotel in Auckland after returning from Australia when surgery became inevitable.
Bates originally injured her shoulder when she fell awkwardly diving for a ball in the outfield playing for the White Ferns in their Rose Bowl series against Australia in Brisbane at the start of October.
She took more than a month off to rest the injury before returning to play for the Adelaide Strikers in the WBBL in Sydney.
But she had to leave the field in her return match after throwing the ball in the outfield caused her pain.
“It was just an unfortunate dive where I landed. They call it the try scoring injury because rugby players tend to do it and I just landed on it awkwardly. Then I thought I was going to be able to rehab it without surgery and took one throw and obviously it wasn’t right — just a shame I’ve hurt it twice in such a close space of time,” Bates said.
Bates has been told that she needs major work on two parts of her right shoulder, the rotator cuff and the HAGL (humeral avulsion glenohumeral ligament).
“It’s not great news but I have got an appointment to get it fixed and they’re sort of saying it’s going to be six to nine months out at this stage. Fortunately for me the postponed World Cup has been moved to 2022 so that gives me a chance to get myself fighting fit for that.”
The women’s 50-over Cricket World Cup was scheduled to be held in New Zealand in February-march next year but had to be postponed as a result of the impact of the Covid19 pandemic.
Bates told RNZ the serious injury is new territory for her.
“I’m not surehowi’m going to cope, I don’t think I’ve missed the game from injury since I started so it’s been a different experience.
“Trying to find ways to keep busy and help out with the Otago Sparks I think once I get my shoulder fixed.
“I think having a home world cup to prepare for is going to help with the motivation through that long stint, especially at my age.”
There was some concern that Bates might struggle to bowl again but the all-rounder said she’s been told throwing will be the hardest part.
“I think the batting is going to be fine, and bowling they think just with the mechanism andhowit works [will be okay].
“Actually throwing at a distance is probably the last thing to come back, so maybe I’ll start practising lefthanded,” laughed Bates.
Bates is currently in an isolation hotel in Auckland with fellow White Ferns’ Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu, and Rosemary Mair, who have finished their WBBL seasons.
Bates said they were lucky they were together.
“We were given the heads up that if you sort of travel as if you are a bubble or a family you can check in together and then you can hang out in that bubble while you’re here so wemadesure thatwestuck together.”