Eden Carson, part of New Zealand’s new generation of players, dismantled the West Indies’ top order before the team’s experienced core finished the job.
With West Indies needing 15 runs off the final over and seven wickets down, Suzie Bates stepped up, eager for the ball. Supported by captain Sophie Devine and Amelia Kerr, her long-time teammates in the White Ferns, Bates took the responsibility.
Zaida James, in the midst of a crucial innings with a T20 World Cup final spot on the line, struck Bates’ first ball through the covers for four. Due to an over-rate penalty, New Zealand was limited to just three fielders outside the circle. But Bates, seasoned and calm, was unfazed.
She followed up with a dot ball, then a fuller delivery that angled in and knocked over James’ leg stump, bringing New Zealand within touching distance of victory. A single from Ashmini Munisar left Afy Fletcher needing 10 runs off the last two balls. Fletcher could only manage a single, and when Kerr fired in the ball from deep midwicket, Bates was there to hit the stumps, securing the win. Fourteen years of waiting for another shot at the title was over.
Amelia Kerr later reflected on the moment: “I told Suzie she should bowl, and she said to Sophie, ‘Give me the ball, I want to bowl.’ That’s huge, from your leader, your most capped player, stepping up in that moment. She’s done it before, and she likes to call herself Michael Jordan. That was her Michael Jordan moment.”
It echoed Bates’ heroics earlier in the year when she defended eight runs in a last-over thriller against England, taking 2 for 4 to keep New Zealand’s five-game series alive.
Playing her 333rd international match, equaling Mithali Raj’s record, Bates’ over against West Indies was a perfect complement to Eden Carson’s early breakthroughs. Carson, the 23-year-old offspinner, was Player of the Match for a second consecutive game with 3 for 29, helping New Zealand defend a modest total of 128 for 9.
Carson dismantled West Indies’ top order, taking key wickets, including Qianna Joseph and Shemaine Campbell in the powerplay. When she bowled Stafanie Taylor in the ninth over, West Indies were left reeling, despite Deandra Dottin’s effort to chase the target with 33 off 22 balls. It was Kerr who ended Dottin’s innings, setting up the dramatic finish with Bates.
The performance of Bates, Devine, and Carson represented a perfect balance between experience and youth, with Kerr, at 25, bridging the two generations. Their timely synergy surprised many outside the team but was believed in by those within.
New Zealand’s resurgence came after crashing out of the group stages in the 2023 World Cup. Devine had spoken of wanting to protect young talents like Carson, Fran Jonas, and wicketkeeper-batter Izzy Gaze, who played a crucial 20 not out off 14 balls. Despite series defeats to England and Australia in the lead-up to the tournament, New Zealand’s blend of youth and experience was now paying off.
Reflecting on their journey, Kerr said, “It’s been a tough year, but it speaks volumes about the character in this group. Losses can hurt your confidence, but we stayed positive and believed we could win, and those tough series have made us better.”
Carson, now thriving, credited the team’s resilience, saying, “We could have let the criticism get to us, but instead, we’ve grown closer. We focus on the lessons from losses, not the losses themselves.”
Georgia Plimmer, another young standout, demonstrated the team’s faith in youth with her half-century against Sri Lanka in the group stage, followed by a top score of 33 against West Indies. Her innings, alongside Bates’ battling 26, underscored New Zealand’s bright future.
Now, after knocking out heavyweights England and Australia, New Zealand faces South Africa in the final, guaranteeing a new T20 World Cup champion. For a team unearthing new stars, that feels perfectly fitting.