Your childhood dream coming true doesn’t always happen, but it did for me: Amelia Kerr

Childhood dreams see the light of day only for a handful. For Amelia Kerr, they did in October 2024 as part of a New Zealand team that won the Women’s T20 World Cup for the first time. Moreover, the 24-year-old played chief protagonist, winning the Player of the Final and the Player of the Tournament awards.

Besides finishing as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker with 15 scalps in six matches with her leg-breaks and googlies, she also contributed 135 runs at No. 3. The icing on the cake for the ace all-rounder, who made her debut for the White Ferns as a 16-year-old, came in January when she was adjudged the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year.

In an interaction with The Hindu during the Lucknow leg of the Women’s Premier League, Kerr spoke about New Zealand’s triumph, her feats in the game and her experience in the WPL. Excerpts:

You have been a part of Mumbai Indians for all three seasons. How do you think the WPL has grown?

In the last three years, I have seen so much development. Firstly, within the squads I have been involved in, but in the standard of games also. Each year, there is also a local player or two who emerges and performs really well. The growth of the tournament and the cricket has been awesome to see.

What needs to happen for the league to grow further?

With five teams, the standard is actually really good. In the future, they may potentially add one more team. But yeah, the ball-striking has been so impressive. There is always work to be done for most teams on fielding. That is a real controllable. Often, teams that win competitions are the best fielding units. So, there is always room to grow, but I think it is in a really good place.

It’s been a few months since New Zealand won the T20 World Cup. You won the Women’s Cricketer of the Year award on the back of it. How do you look back on those moments?

Obviously, the World Cup win was a real highlight for New Zealand. To win with some of my best mates, my sister [Jess Kerr] and some legends of New Zealand cricket, it is something I will remember for the rest of my life. With the team we have, we are such good friends and we have an amazing culture. Your childhood dream coming true doesn’t always happen, but it did.

Are personal accolades a big motivator?

No, it’s not a motivator at all for me. Performing for my teammates and trying to win games for the team I play for… that’s the motivation. It’s about winning, being in the moment and competing. The other stuff is very special and I am very grateful and humbled to receive those awards, but it is not something you think about even though it is a huge honour.

Having had time to reflect, what can this title do for your career? Do people recognise you a lot more in New Zealand now?

Yeah, definitely. I hope it just helps New Zealanders and our team believe that we can compete with the best in the world and be the best in the world. A massive thing about having success is that it builds belief in the team. I think that’s number one. People like successful stories. So, I also hope that the World Cup inspired a lot of young kids to get involved, play cricket and see it as a career path. I think it would be awesome if cricket could be New Zealand’s No. 1 sport.

Do you expect this to lead to many more titles for NZ in the next few years?

I hope so. You never know when you are in tournaments because anything can happen. But it’s something we can hold onto because we have stepped up in pressure situations before and we can lean back on that success. It doesn’t guarantee anything, but it definitely builds belief. 

You are one of the world’s premier all-rounders. Is dealing with the pressure of expectations a challenge?

I don’t think it’s a challenge. Nothing really changes for me. All these things are external. For me, it’s about knowing my gameplan, who I am as a person and trusting that. The outcome will be what it will be. But if I can be consistent in the way that I work hard and prepare for games, that’s controlling the controllables.

Wrist-spinners seem to be doing very well in the shorter formats. What makes them so effective?

Being able to pick leg-spinners’ variations can be difficult. It is an attacking style of bowling. You can get hit and things may sometimes not go your way. But because it is an attacking brand, there is reward that comes with that. Not many people bowl leg-spin. So, you don’t get to practise against it as often. I love bowling leg-spin. It is a hard craft, but it is a lot of fun too when you get it right.

How do you strike a balance between hunting for wickets and not leaking too many runs?

Consistency is number one. Because leg-spin is hard, you can be inconsistent. You are trying to spin the ball both ways with variations. So, you just have to practise a lot. As a leg-spinner, your best ball is often very good. If you can be as consistent as you can be, that is when you will see reward.

There’s the ODI World Cup in India later this year. What has the WPL experience taught you about playing in India?

It’s a massive advantage getting to play in India. To experience the culture, conditions and all those different things, you are able to work out what is effective on these pitches. The 50-over format is different, but getting used to conditions here is really important.

Your 232 not out in 2018 still stands as the highest score in women’s ODIs. What are your memories of that knock?

I got to open that day and I hadn’t really batted much for NZ then. It was special to get that opportunity. Now that I think back, it is probably more how far women’s cricket has come since that day. We were playing on a club ground and we were not on television. Now, we are always playing on television and in stadiums. I didn’t really think too much in that innings and it feels like a long time ago. It’s something that cannot be taken away, but moreover, it’s just awesome to see the growth of the women’s game.

You are vastly experienced at a very young age. Is captaincy something you are eventually keen on?

Yeah, leadership is something I enjoy. My thing is that I don’t need to be named anything to be a leader within a group. There is obviously a bit of change happening in New Zealand at the moment. Captaincy is something that does interest me, but it’s also something that I don’t want to rush into. I want to make sure that I am ready when I do it. Over the years, you learn a lot, especially having played with some incredible players who have been great leaders and helped me along my career. Hopefully one day, when younger players come through, I can have that same impact on them that older players have had on me.