Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai
“Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties.” That phrase acts as an apt description for Hannah Rowe’s two spells at the Hagley Oval Stadium in the 2022 World Cup encounter between New Zealand and Pakistan. Initially, Sidra Amin and Muneeba Ali took on the gauntlet of chasing down a sizeable target by cracking some fine pulls while facing Rowe. At the completion of her first spell, she had gone for plenty.
At that point of time, Rowe might have believed the stars weren’t exactly aligned in her favour. Destiny, though, had something else in store for her. With the score reading 155 for 3, Pakistan suffered a massive collapse and were soon reduced to 174 for 9. From nowhere, Rowe had taken five of the six wickets to fall. To date, it those are Rowe’s best career figures in ODIs.
So, what does Rowe have to say about the topsy-turvy nature of the game? “That was our home World Cup,” she told RevSportz. “It was really cool to have that (five-for) in a World Cup. I remember at the start of that innings, I had bowled terribly for the first three overs. So, to come back and get five wickets in the end there, I think I was quite so excited (about) how cricket can be like it is up and (then) it is down.”
In fact, life has thrown a fair number of hurdles at her. Even on her New Zealand debut, Rowe couldn’t find her rhythm. In that 50-over game against England, Rowe’s figures read none for 35 from four overs. She went wicketless in the next three ODIs too. But Rowe took that setback in her stride and made a strong comeback. She has now taken 59 scalps in ODIs and averages a tad over 25 in T20Is.
“Looking back, 2015 feels like a long time ago,” she said. “But I just remember being so excited to get that opportunity, I don’t think I was ready at that time. I guess I was just trying to go out there and do the best I could. Like you said, it didn’t quite go well with the ball, but I think just the taste of that experience being out there made me really go back and work hard, so that I would have more opportunities for myself at another time.”
The origins of Rowe’s passion for the game and her determination to succeed came through playing backyard cricket with her family. The pace bowler has a few vivid memories to share. “I played cricket with my family throughout my childhood. I also used to play cricket with my brothers in the backyard.
“My father plays for a cricket club. Myself, a couple of my brothers have all played for that club. I have been out there, I would bat together with my brothers and dad. That was really a special thing for me. Moving on, to the kind of cricket I get to play now, it is important for me to try and remember, I guess, the passion with which I started as well.”
Rowe’s persistence to improve by small percentages goes beyond just her bowling. She has another goal –to polish her batting abilities. Incidentally, she notched up a couple of 40-plus scores against South Africa last year. “It is the nature of the game, you want to be really good at both the skills,” she said. “That is something I want to really work hard on. So that if I am needed with the ball on one day, or runs are needed in the lower order, I would contribute. That is something I am really working hard at.”
The New Zealand camp would trust Rowe to make an impression in the opening game of the T20 World Cup against India. There is a subtext to it as well –the likes of Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine and Lea Tahuhu are at the back end of their noteworthy careers. From that context, it is imperative that some of the relatively younger players such as Rowe, Georgia Plimmer, Brooke Halliday, Isabella Gaze and others take extra responsibility.
“Yes, those girls aren’t getting any younger, as you said, but they still have so much to offer to the group,” said Rowe. “So, that is a cool thing of having them around because they have got so much experience. And the exciting thing is a lot of our group are young as well. So, knowing that, when the time comes for them to get consistent opportunities, hopefully, they will be more ready for that.”
New Zealand also have found it difficult to string together wins in the recent past, having lost to Australia, England and Pakistan in bilateral T20Is. Despite all those reversals, Rowe seemed optimistic of New Zealand’s chances in the mega event.
“Yes, definitely it is fair to say that we haven’t had an ideal lead-up,” she said. “We would have loved to have won more games, but at the same time it is great that we have had the chance to play sides like Australia and England. Although we have lost to both, probably if you look deeper, there are definitely improvements going on within our side. The girls are still confident that we can go out there and win games.”
As the freewheeling chat veered towards its conclusion, one wondered about Rowe’s childhood hero. “I didn’t watch a huge amount of cricket growing up,” quipped Rowe. “Probably from a batting perspective, I always loved watching AB de Villiers.” Compared to the South African great, Rowe’s batting prowess is a little modest. But she has the opportunity on the grandest of stages – the World Cup – to shine bright by getting the ball to hoop around corners and making crucial incisions.
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