Sophie Devine's side saw their hopes dealt a near-fatal blow at Eden Park. Photo / photosport.nz
Sophie Devine's side saw their hopes dealt a near-fatal blow at Eden Park. Photo / photosport.nz
The White Ferns' World Cup will almost certainly end with tomorrow's clash against Pakistan, but Sophie Devine believes the tournament can be the start of something for her side.
New Zealand need a big win at Hagley Oval to keep alive their faint semifinal chances, for another day at least,with Devine's recovery from a back injury aiding in that cause.
Any victory will likely count for little - the hosts' hopes are dependent on Bangladesh beating England, India losing to South Africa and a massive reversal in net run rate.
But if their tournament is destined for disappointment, Devine is sure the women's game in this country will continue to grow, even if financially the White Ferns will never contend with Australia or England.
"We've made massive growth, particularly from when I started," Devine said, having played the first of her 127 ODIs in 2006.
"The [national] contracts have improved, domestic contracts are now a part of it. We've seen resources, we've had camps this summer, and I think that needs to continue.
"Everyone's going to say they want more money but, for me, it's not about the money - it's about the resources, the structure, the staff, the systems that go in place behind it.
"I certainly think we're moving in the right direction, which is a real positive, but we're never going to have the same amount of money and resources as Australia and England, so we need to stop comparing ourselves."
Devine was grateful for a "really supportive" New Zealand Cricket and paid tribute everyone behind the scenes of this World Cup, a tournament that she wanted to also be a catalyst for continued advancement in women's cricket.
"The tournament's been fantastic," Devine said. "This has been one of the most competitive, high-scoring competitions that I've been involved in, and I've been around for a while.
"The way that teams have batted in particular has been fantastic. To see scores of 250-plus shows the growth of the women's game. When we get put on great cricket wickets, you get fantastic results."
That surge in scoring, however, has been one of the chief reasons behind the White Ferns' probable round-robin exit.
Sophie Devine's side saw their hopes dealt a near-fatal blow at Eden Park. Photo / photosport.nz
New Zealand haven't been poor, with three of their four defeats decided in the final over or by the last wicket. But they have played well only in patches and, as Devine acknowledged, their batting will assume most of the blame if they do miss the semifinals at a second straight World Cup.
"We haven't scored enough runs," the skipper said. "There's been a number of games where if we'd scored 20 or 30 more runs the result would've been a little bit easier to come by.
"Tomorrow's our big focus but all those reflections and reviews will happen. But certainly runscoring has been an issue."
The bowling attack that has kept the hosts competitive will be missing a chief weapon tomorrow, with Lea Tahuhu ruled out through the hamstring injury she suffered against England.
While they would have been hoping to end their tournament a week later at the same venue, Devine said the Pakistan clash would instead have to suffice as her side's final.
"We've got to be realistic about it. I don't know the exact numbers but we do know that this is likely our final game here, and that's how we want to play it.
"It's obviously not the final that we thought we'd be playing in, but we still have so much passion and pride that we want to make sure we go out and really put on a performance that we're proud of."
