Cricket World Cup: New Zealand coach almost 11 months apart from family

Kate Hesson, pictured with daughters Holly (left) and Charlie, will be at the World Cup final to cheer for husband Mike Hesson and his team.

Kate Hesson has faced a year that included 311 days away from her husband, and "appreciates" cricket rather than calling herself a fan.

But the Dunedin lawyer and wife of Black Caps coach Mike Hesson says she felt all the anxiety and elation of the national team as they slammed their way into Sunday's Cricket World Cup final in Melbourne with a six off the penultimate ball.

And the woman with some in-depth knowledge of the coach and the team says the former is calm and level-headed, and the latter "raring to go".

Mrs Hesson returned to Dunedin this week from the semifinal win against South Africa in Auckland, and will be in Melbourne when the Black Caps walk on to the field in their first World Cup final.

Mike Hesson. Photo / Dean Purcell

At the Auckland cliff-hanger, she said, nobody was seated in the corporate box set aside for partners and family: "We were all writhing or screaming, swearing or shouting.

"When Grant Elliott hit the last six, everybody was hugging each other and there were tears - all sorts of elation, really."

The joys of being the wife of the national coach come with a downside, however - Mike Hesson is away a lot.

"Absolutely.

"It depends on what's going on. We've probably seen more of him since Christmas, because they've been playing in New Zealand."

That still meant one week at home, two weeks away, even when he was in New Zealand. A tour of England is next on the schedule.

"When we see him, he's not on holiday - it's work.

"I think the only year we've done a proper tally was his first year as coach, and he was away for 311 days of that year."

Communication ranged from face-time to telephone calls, and skyping to videos put together by Mrs Hesson and their daughters Holly, 8, and Charlie, 4.