Alex Chapman: White Ferns World Cup win a masterclass in resilience

Hands up if you saw this coming.

Ah yes, one or two hands shot up there at the back. The old 'I told you so’s'.

But let's be honest - that White Ferns win over South Africa in the T20 World Cup final was a result that even the most die-hard of fans would’ve struggled to believe. The dream was there, but like those raised metaphorical hands, it was somewhere towards the back.

Unachievable? No. Unlikely? Yes. That’s what makes it even more exceptional.

Ten T20 defeats in a row. Just two competitive wins from 19 games this year. A captain under pressure, who'd already announced she's standing down from the role. A team struggling and seemingly, from the outside at least, disjointed and without an identity.

They looked lost.

The low point came in that disaster of a home World Cup in 2022, where they failed to make the semi-finals, winning just three of seven games. It’s hard to think how it could’ve got any worse.

The knives were whipped out, change was made. A new coach and players came in, some went out, and then back in again (one in particular).

But to see the results of big change can take time. As much you may try, the lack of immediacy, means remaining resilient.

Sophie Devine knows all about doing that. The World Cup-winning captain (how good does that sound?!) stepped away from the game in 2021 to prioritise her mental health and reduce fatigue.

She wasn’t the only one, though you can’t help but feel that her decision led the way for others to feel more comfortable and less judged to do so. That’s a type of leadership far greater than doing a toss, setting fields and rotating bowlers.

It allowed the likes of Melie Kerr to be just as open in her own fight. Not long after her captain had returned from her own break, the star allrounder was sent home from a White Ferns training camp, for, in her words, "safety reasons" in July 2021. She’d go on to take a seven-month break.

Devine would go and spend time with Kerr during that period. Not as a former babysitter, nor as a captain, but as a mate. They’d head to a basketball court (let’s be honest, probably in Tawa) and shoot hoops. They’d talk. Who knows what about. Heck, we don’t need to know.

I remember speaking to Devine the day before the ODI World Cup on home shores, and she shared how proud she was of both Kerr’s and her own courage, before acknowledging how it wouldn’t be a quick fix. That it wouldn’t come straight away.

As the old saying goes, good things take time.

Both have discussed the lessons learnt, reflections had, and resilience grown from those times. It’s that resilience which has served not just those two, but the team so well, over the last couple of years. As Suzie Bates said there have been some “dark times.”

But from those dark times, Devine, Kerr and co have ascended to the top of the world.

Putting your hand up can be pretty easy, when you’re the one saying you were right. But putting your hand up to say you’re not okay? That’s an act which often takes time to bear results.

Devine and Kerr can now put their hands up and proudly say they asked for help, and they’ve reaped the rewards of that bravery.

And they can now put their hands up and say they’re world champions.