Latest news with #WhiteFerns
Canada News.Net
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Canada News.Net
Zimbabwe set to make historic debut in ICC Women's Championship during New Zealand tour
Harare [Zimbabwe], June 25 (ANI): Zimbabwe women's team will make their historic debut in the ICC Women's Championship and embark on their quest to qualify for the Women's ODI World Cup when they tour New Zealand for a white-ball series in February-March 2026. The landmark tour will see the Zimbabwe women's team square off against the White Ferns in three ODIs, scheduled for March 5, 8, and 11 next year at the University of Otago Oval in Dunedin, marking their debut in the ICC Women's Championship. Before the ODIs, the two sides will compete in a three-match T20I series on February 25 and 27 and March 1 at Seddon Park in Hamilton, giving the tourists a valuable opportunity to acclimatise to New Zealand conditions ahead of their ICC Women's Championship debut. Zimbabwe's women's team were included in the coveted global competition for the first time following its expansion from 10 to 11 teams in November 2024. According to the ICC's Future Tours Programme, Zimbabwe women will travel to play New Zealand, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, while hosting South Africa Women, West Indies, Sri Lanka and Ireland. 'It is a proud and exciting moment for us as Zimbabwe Women prepare to compete at the highest level of the global game. This is not only a testament to how far our women's cricket has come, but also a strong endorsement of our vision and investment in developing the women's game,' Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) managing director Givemore Makoni said in a statement by the board. Makoni added that making their debut in the ICC Women's Championship would inspire more girls and young women across Zimbabwe to take up the sport. 'Being part of such a prestigious competition provides our players with a platform to grow, compete and ultimately qualify for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup,' he said. 'The exposure to top-level cricket, including this inaugural tour to New Zealand, will accelerate our progress and strengthen our global competitiveness,' he added. (ANI)
Courier-Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Courier-Mail
Cricketer Amelia Kerr on how family saved her amid mental health battle
Don't miss out on the headlines from Health. Followed categories will be added to My News. A desire to 'protect the people I love most' initially led star WBBL cricketer Amelia Kerr to try to hide her 'unbearable sadness' from her family. But after they surprised the young all-rounder with a lifesaving intervention that made her feel as if 'she was at her own funeral', their support became crucial to her ongoing management of anxiety and depression. Kerr took her game to another level in 2024 to be crowned player of the tournament during New Zealand's maiden T20 World Cup title run, and the International Cricket Council's Women's Cricketer of the Year. She was a prized pick-up for WBBL side the Sydney Sixers last season, after stints at the Brisbane Heat, and starred for the Mumbai Indians during their 2025 WPL title-winning season earlier this year. But reaching these heights has been anything but easy for the 24-year-old, who began to bottle up her emotions in her late teens because she felt she should be grateful to be 'living out my childhood dream' playing for the White Ferns. 'I was also living with the belief that everything I did had to be perfect. I never gave myself a break,' Kerr told News Corp's Can We Talk? campaign, in partnership with Medibank. Amelia Kerr at her family's Wellington home Picture: Hagen Hopkins 'My thoughts started to consume me and my only escape, the only place where my mind was clear and I felt like I could breathe, was training. 'I would get up early, train all day, then go to the pool at night and do recovery, so all I needed to do was come home eat, shower and try to sleep. 'I tried to avoid my family because I didn't want them to see the pain I was in.' Kerr said she believed that her loved ones couldn't fix her anguish, and therefore didn't want to burden them. But in 2021, the floodgates opened after she was sent home from a White Ferns training camp. Kerr said the decision angered her at the time, but she had since realised she 'had reached a crisis point' and needed 'serious help'. Teammate and close friend Maddy Green flew back with Kerr to her hometown of Wellington, where her parents, sister (fellow White Ferns cricketer Jess), grandparents, aunties and uncles staged a second intervention. A 10-minute, tear-filled speech by her dad, former Wellington player Robbie Kerr, was one of 'many powerful messages that night' that Kerr said gave her hope. 'I thought, 'My family need me here and I need to try get better for them',' she said. 'My family saved my life. 'They knew I was struggling, but they didn't quite know the degree. 'I was then taken to the crisis team at hospital (where) I spoke about how I was feeling. 'Everyone in that room was in tears.' Amelia Kerr at her family's Wellington home, with father Robbie Kerr and mother Jo Murray. Picture: Hagen Hopkins Amelia Kerr bowls for the Sixers. (Photo by) Weekly sessions with a psychiatrist, medication and close monitoring followed, allowing Kerr to 'feel safe for once'. The talented bowler and batter also went public with her mental health battles when she pulled out of the White Ferns' 2021 tour of England. While she was 'scared' to be so open, doing so 'was me standing up for something I am passionate about, so it can provide others with hope that things can get better'. Kerr continues to manage her mental health through regular psychologist sessions, learning her 'warning signs' so she can ask for help before getting to a bad place, having a routine, practising gratitude and putting time towards activities that 'fill my cup' like exercise, being in nature, reading, playing guitar and being with loved ones. She also created Treading Water – a series on her website, in which 14 people share their stories of mental illness and recovery to 'help normalise those conversations'. Importantly, Kerr and her family have built 'a relationship of trust' in which she feels comfortable to 'tell them how I feel, and for them to do the same'. 'The experiences we have shared have made us even closer and more grateful for life,' she said. Can We Talk? is a News Corp awareness campaign, in partnership with Medibank, helping Australian families better tackle mental wellbeing. To follow the series and access all stories, tips and advice, visit our new Health section. Originally published as Cricketer Amelia Kerr on how family saved her amid mental health battle
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Health
- News.com.au
Cricketer Amelia Kerr on how family saved her amid mental health battle
A desire to 'protect the people I love most' initially led star WBBL cricketer Amelia Kerr to try to hide her 'unbearable sadness' from her family. But after they surprised the young all-rounder with a lifesaving intervention that made her feel as if 'she was at her own funeral', their support became crucial to her ongoing management of anxiety and depression. Kerr took her game to another level in 2024 to be crowned player of the tournament during New Zealand's maiden T20 World Cup title run, and the International Cricket Council's Women's Cricketer of the Year. She was a prized pick-up for WBBL side the Sydney Sixers last season, after stints at the Brisbane Heat, and starred for the Mumbai Indians during their 2025 WPL title-winning season earlier this year. But reaching these heights has been anything but easy for the 24-year-old, who began to bottle up her emotions in her late teens because she felt she should be grateful to be 'living out my childhood dream' playing for the White Ferns. 'I was also living with the belief that everything I did had to be perfect. I never gave myself a break,' Kerr told News Corp's Can We Talk? campaign, in partnership with Medibank. 'My thoughts started to consume me and my only escape, the only place where my mind was clear and I felt like I could breathe, was training. 'I would get up early, train all day, then go to the pool at night and do recovery, so all I needed to do was come home eat, shower and try to sleep. 'I tried to avoid my family because I didn't want them to see the pain I was in.' Kerr said she believed that her loved ones couldn't fix her anguish, and therefore didn't want to burden them. But in 2021, the floodgates opened after she was sent home from a White Ferns training camp. Kerr said the decision angered her at the time, but she had since realised she 'had reached a crisis point' and needed 'serious help'. Teammate and close friend Maddy Green flew back with Kerr to her hometown of Wellington, where her parents, sister (fellow White Ferns cricketer Jess), grandparents, aunties and uncles staged a second intervention. A 10-minute, tear-filled speech by her dad, former Wellington player Robbie Kerr, was one of 'many powerful messages that night' that Kerr said gave her hope. 'I thought, 'My family need me here and I need to try get better for them',' she said. 'My family saved my life. 'They knew I was struggling, but they didn't quite know the degree. 'I was then taken to the crisis team at hospital (where) I spoke about how I was feeling. 'Everyone in that room was in tears.' Weekly sessions with a psychiatrist, medication and close monitoring followed, allowing Kerr to 'feel safe for once'. The talented bowler and batter also went public with her mental health battles when she pulled out of the White Ferns' 2021 tour of England. While she was 'scared' to be so open, doing so 'was me standing up for something I am passionate about, so it can provide others with hope that things can get better'. Kerr continues to manage her mental health through regular psychologist sessions, learning her 'warning signs' so she can ask for help before getting to a bad place, having a routine, practising gratitude and putting time towards activities that 'fill my cup' like exercise, being in nature, reading, playing guitar and being with loved ones. She also created Treading Water – a series on her website, in which 14 people share their stories of mental illness and recovery to 'help normalise those conversations'. Importantly, Kerr and her family have built 'a relationship of trust' in which she feels comfortable to 'tell them how I feel, and for them to do the same'. 'The experiences we have shared have made us even closer and more grateful for life,' she said.
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
BYC podcast: Greatest moments from a 20-year journey
The Backyard Cricket team's regrettable insistence that New Zealand went into this match as the favourites resulted in the consumption of a slice of humble pie as big as Man of the Match Mitchell Marsh's bison-sized head. We had dared to dream that New Zealand could be the T20 World Cup champions, but the glory evaded us (until the White Ferns did the deed magnificently at the women's edition in 2024), despite a valiant 85 off 48 balls from Kane Williamson. A gutting loss but nothing compared to the World Cup finals in 2015 and the-game-that-shall-not-be-mentioned in 2019. Backyard Cricket podcast hosts Jason Willis, Kevin Sinnott and Paul Ford. 4. NZ beat Sri Lanka, 2023 Sri Lanka 355 & 302 New Zealand 373 & 285/8 New Zealand won by 2 wickets A slow, grinding, dread-filled, anxiety-inducing test victory in the gloaming of Hagley Oval, decided by the last ball of the match. The carnage and chaos at the end of the game will stick long in the memory as Kane Williamson dived through for a bye to beat a run-out attempt, accompanied by a hobbling Neil Wagner nursing a bulging disc in his back. It was also cited by a listener as evidence of DazBall – the belligerent batting and high cricket IQ of Daryl Mitchell playing a huge hand in getting New Zealand home. 3. NZ beat England, 2023 England 435/8d & 256 New Zealand 209 & 483 New Zealand won by 1 run The final act of this nailbiter was the Neil Wagner Show at the Basin his lionhearted performance punctuated by guttural roars ended five pulsating days of cricketing theatre and reminded us of the power and glory of test cricket. This was one for the ages: a win to New Zealand by a single, solitary run over a marauding England team to become the fourth team in history to win a test after following on. This was the type of game that gets test cricket into your bones, seeping into your pores, and makes us realise how much we love it. New Zealand never felt like they were going to win until the final ball was bowled (Wagner), feathered (Anderson), and caught (Blundell). Neil Wagner shows his passion after snaring a wicket. Photo / Photosport 2. NZ beat India, 2024 New Zealand win series 3-0 We revelled in the afterglow of New Zealand's greatest-ever test series victory: an extraordinary, unfathomable and mind-blowing 3-0 whitewash over India. Even better was that the Black Caps were not even lucky – they outplayed India comprehensively: navigating deliberately tricky conditions, India's intimidating record, and a raft of injuries to out-bat, out-bowl, out-catch and out-think cricket's commercial colossus. Three consecutive wins over three weeks: each more extraordinary and unexpected than the one before. It felt so good we cried with joy as New Zealand delivered India its first-ever down-trou 3-0 hiding and low-key harpooned the biggest test series upset in the history of the game. Ajaz Patel celebrates bowling his side to victory. Photo / Photosport 1. World Test Championship, 2021 India 217 & 170 New Zealand 249 & 140/2 New Zealand won by 8 wickets Unpatriotically prepared to see New Zealand fall at the final hurdle, we in the Backyard Cricket podcast team were absolutely losing our minds as New Zealand stunned India to take home the World Test Championship mace in their hand luggage from Southampton. 'Did you ever think you'd see this happen in your lifetime?' Jason Hoyte asks. 'No,' said Dylan Cleaver matter-of-factly. After so much disappointment and pain – and 90 years of grinding away at test cricket – this was a cathartic, heart-warming result. The arc that began with the nadir of 45 all out in South Africa in 2013 was completed with this triumph: an endorsement of the resilient, calm, sledgeless, gracious, humble, joy-filled approach that characterised the Baz/Hesson and Stead/y the Ship eras.
1News
3 days ago
- Sport
- 1News
Black Caps to host four nations in packed summer of cricket
The Black Caps will host Australia, England, the West Indies, and South Africa in a packed home season this summer. In a schedule released this morning, New Zealand will host the visitors across multiple formats, the first three sides arriving before Christmas ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup campaign in India and Sri Lanka — which starts in January. The White Ferns, involved in their own ICC Cricket World Cup between late September and early November, are set for a bumper 14-game home summer, including a first ever series against Zimbabwe, and a five-match T20I series against South Africa. The T20s will be held as double headers alongside the New Zealand men v South Africa. All fixtures of the home international summer will be broadcast on TVNZ+, TVNZ 1 and TVNZ DUKE. ADVERTISEMENT It will comprise of 46 days of international cricket played at nine venues throughout the country: Eden Park (Auckland), Seddon Park (Hamilton), Bay Oval (Tauranga), McLean Park (Napier), Sky Stadium (Wellington), Cello Basin Reserve (Wellington), Saxton Oval (Nelson), Hagley Oval (Christchurch) and the University of Otago Oval (Dunedin). NZC chief executive Scott Weenink said he was delighted NZC was able to wrap such an exciting home schedule around the two offshore global tournaments. 'It's great to welcome such a diverse range of opponents for both the Black Caps and White Ferns, and especially pleasing for NZC to host the first-ever series between Zimbabwe and New Zealand women,' he said. The Black Caps' white-ball challenges comprise three T20Is against Australia in Mount Maunganui in early October, followed by three T20Is and three ODIs against England, and a five-match T20I series and a three-game ODI series against the West Indies. 'A marquee summer' Black Caps pace bowler Kyle Jamieson, who made a successful return from injury in the recent home summer, said it was exciting to have some of the best teams in the world coming to New Zealand. 'It feels like a marquee summer,' he said. ADVERTISEMENT 'The calibre of opposition means we'll be constantly tested for the duration of the season and that's what you want as a cricketer. 'It's great to have another three-Test series at home and I'm sure the fans will get in behind the Test team as they have in seasons gone by. 'It's always special to play in front of a home crowd and we're hoping Kiwis will get out in force to support us once again this summer.' White Ferns rising star Georgia Plimmer said her side had plenty to look forward to. 'We can't wait for the international season and the chance to play in another ICC Cricket World Cup,' she said. 'We want to play as much cricket as we can, especially in front of our home fans and it's exciting to have a 14-game home summer to prepare for. 'It's great to see more T20I doubleheaders as they are such a great experience for teams and fans alike and it was awesome to see such strong crowds last season.' ADVERTISEMENT Tickets for the NZC home international summer will go on sale in August and will be available at NZC Home International Schedule 2025-26 Black Caps v Australia 1st T20I, Bay Oval, Wednesday, 1 October 2025, 19:15 2nd T20I, Bay Oval, Friday, 3 October 2025, 19:15 3rd T20I, Bay Oval, Saturday, 4 October 2025, 19:15 Black Caps v England ADVERTISEMENT 1st T20I, Hagley Oval, Saturday, 18 October 2025, 19:15 2nd T20I, Hagley Oval, Monday, 20 October 2025, 19:15 3rd T20I, Eden Park, Thursday, 23 October 2025, 19:15 1st ODI, Bay Oval, Sunday, 26 October 2025, 14:00 2nd ODI, Seddon Park, Wednesday, 29 October 2025, 14:00 3rd ODI, Sky Stadium, Saturday, 1 November 2025, 14:00 Black Caps v West Indies ADVERTISEMENT 1st T20I, Eden Park, Wednesday, 5 November 2025, 19:15 2nd T20I, Eden Park, Thursday, 6 November 2025, 19:15 3rd T20I, Saxton Oval, Sunday, 9 November 2025, 13:15 4th T20I, Saxton Oval, Monday, 10 November 2025, 13:15 5th T20I, University of Otago Oval, Thursday, 13 November 2025, 13:15 1st ODI, Hagley Oval, Sunday, 16 November 2025, 14:00 2nd ODI, McLean Park, Wednesday, 19 November 2025, 14:00 ADVERTISEMENT 3rd ODI, Seddon Park, Saturday, 22 November 2025, 14:00 3-dayer, Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Wednesday, 26 – Friday, 28 November 2025, 11:00 1st Test, Hagley Oval, Tuesday 2 – Saturday 6 December 2025, 11:00 2nd Test, Cello Basin Reserve, Wednesday 10 – Sunday 14 December 2025, 11:00 3rd Test, Bay Oval, Thursday 18 – Monday 22 December 2025, 11:00 White Ferns v Zimbabwe 1st T20I, Seddon Park, Wednesday 25 February 2026, 19:15 ADVERTISEMENT 2nd T20I, Seddon Park, Friday 27 February 2026, 19:15 3rd T20I, Seddon Park, Sunday, 1 March 2026, 13:15 1st ODI, University of Otago Oval, Thursday, 5 March 2026, 11:00 2nd ODI, University of Otago Oval, Sunday, 8 March 2026, 11:00 3rd ODI, University of Otago Oval, Wednesday, 11 March 2026, 11:00 White Ferns & Black Caps v South Africa – T20I Doubleheaders 1st T20I, Bay Oval, Sunday, 15 March 2026, 14:45 & 19:15 ADVERTISEMENT 2nd T20I, Seddon Park, Tuesday, 17 March 2026, 14:45 & 19:15 3rd T20I, Eden Park, Friday, 20 March 2026, 14:45 & 19:15 4th T20I, Sky Stadium, Sunday, 22 March 2026, 14:45 & 19:15 5th T20I, Hagley Oval, Wednesday, 25 March 2026, 14:45 & 19:15 White Ferns v South Africa 1st ODI, Hagley Oval, Sunday, 29 March 2026, 14:00 2nd ODI, Cello Basin Reserve, Wednesday, 1 April 2026, 11:00 ADVERTISEMENT 3rd ODI, Cello Basin Reserve, Saturday, 4 April 2026, 11:00
