D'Arcy Waldegrave: What a turnaround for the White Ferns

The All Sport Breakfast

Oh my!

What a turnaround.

This morning the White Ferns beat the West Indies to secure their place in the ICC Womens T20 World Cup final.

South Africa awaits in a final bereft of the two biggest teams in women’s cricket, the almost peerless Australians and the other perpetual thorn in the side of the Kiwis, England.

This victory represents a changing of the guard at the pointed end of the women’s game here. The transfer of power from the old school to the next generation looked to be a step too far for the side, who had relied on the immense talent of Devine, Bates, and Kerr for some time. This is not to dismiss the contribution of Tahuhu, one of the better stories of redemption in the team, nor the efforts of Green, Halliday, etc. The next tier of players though, had not shown the way forward, and the team had been staggering in transition.

It took the World Cup for previous efforts to crystalize, with the likes of Eden Carson and Georgia Plimmer paying back the faith shown in them.

This morning's game was a ripper but won’t mean much if the title isn't secured on Monday.

A note about Suzie Bates. She took the ball for the final over, after not bowling a ball in the tournament to date – a huge punt, but one that paid dividends as she showed that the veterans are far from a spent force.

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