New Zealand allrounder Suzie Bates felt like “a kid in a candy store” after being able to bat, bowl and field on Dunedin on Tuesday, having recovered from a quadriceps injury he sustained last November.
Bates hasn’t played an international game since the ODI World Cup in October last year and suffered the injury while fielding for Otago during the 50-over Hallyburton Johnstone Shield. Though it was only a tendon issue, she said that the team management wanted to be on the cautious side and give it full time to recover with the T20 World Cup coming up in England later this year – a tournament she admitted was a major motivation during her rehabilitation. She is now set to return to action in the five-match T20I against South Africa at home, which begins on March 15.
“I’m not going to lie,” Bates said. “When I got the prognosis and was told it was 16 weeks and off the back of a disappointing 50-over World Cup, it crossed my mind. But I think that lasted about a day and I got back in the gym. And once I had that purpose of being available for selection for this massive series, it was pretty easy really.
“But yeah, those things cross your mind when you have major injuries and you’ve been in the game a long time. But I think knowing that the South African series and the potential of going on an England tour and a World Cup was really appealing and it didn’t seem that far away once I got fit. So it was either be done or commit to that. And so I made the latter decision.”
Having seen India win successive men’s T20 World Cups, Bates said New Zealand – who “probably surprised a few people” at the previous women’s T20 World Cup in 2024 – will leave “no questions to answer” if they go on to successfully defend their title in England. For now, though, her immediate focus is on “getting back on the park”.
“To be fair, it’s just if I believe I can contribute to the group, that’s what I’ve always kept playing for, ” Bates said. “If I can contribute with runs and wickets and in the field and just around the group and I’m fit enough to do it, then I’ve loved playing whether it’s World Cup or whether it’s home series. Yeah, there’s just still that motivation to keep doing it because I know once I stop, that’ll be it forever.”
“It’s probably been my longest break in 10 years not playing cricket. So there was a few nerves actually even coming to training just when you’ve been away from the group. So first and foremost, it’s getting back on that park on Sunday, pending selection.
“And then around that, it’s just making sure that I contribute whatever role that is with Melie [Melie Kerr] as captain, making sure I support her really well on and off the field.”
If Bates is picked in the XI for the series against South Africa, it will be her first T20I in almost a year, albeit in a different role. Having batted at the top of the order in all but one of her 173 T20I innings, she revealed she will now move down the order and feels she has “almost rebirthed” herself at 38.
In her absence, wicketkeeper-batter Izzy Gaze – who plays in the middle order – was promoted to open in the series against Zimbabwe and responded with scores scores of 66*, 85*, 38*.
“To be honest, that’s sort of probably given me an extra bit of motivation,” Bates said about the change in role.
“When you’ve been doing something for so long, you can get a little bit complacent and go about your business the same way. But being given that message and real clarity around it, sort of has, yeah, I’ve almost rebirthed myself at 38.
“Yeah, to sort of come in… I love bowling, so the fact that that’s part of my role. And to bat in the middle order, it’s exciting. Everyone wants to bat at the top, and I’ve been fortunate enough to do it for a very long time. It’s just been able to, I guess, prove that I can play different roles as well at the international level.”
