For people of a certain age, the journey from Dubai, across the Arabian Sea to India, conjures images of Michael Palin retracing the steps of Phileas Fogg in “Around the World in 80 Days”. For the benefit of anyone under the age of 50, Palin, the congenial former Python and travel writer, caught a dhow (an ancient fishing boat) from the quaint little port city of Dubai – long before the skyscrapers and shopping malls, or indeed the ICC arrived, in 1988. He was attempting to go all the way round the world in under 80 days without using aeroplanes. The resulting episode, in which Palin lives and sails alongside a family of Gujarati fishermen for a week who speak little English on a sailing boat unchanged in design since ancient times, was wonderful, heart-warming, feel-good telly at its very best.
This week another group of people are making a similar journey from Dubai to Ahmedabad. And they too have been responsible for some wonderful, heart-warming, feel-good telly recently. The New Zealand Women’s cricket team, having melted our hearts with their joyous songs and celebrations at the T20 World Cup Final are pausing their festivities in order to do exactly what they have been doing for the last 12 months: preparing for the next World Cup. And how do New Zealand prepare for World Cups? They play against the best teams and end up losing most of their matches.
So having just had time to remove the party streamers and cannoned confetti from their hair, Devine, Bates, Kerr & Co are playing three ODIs in five days against India. The ODI World Cup will be taking place in India in September 2025, so these games are going to be a good chance to practise and acclimatise to Indian conditions. It is an extraordinarily tight turn around, and one fears that the White Ferns may well be physically and emotionally exhausted as they step out to spend those day/night games fielding and batting in 30 plus degrees heat.
One is tempted to think that the BCCI, when planning this series, imagined that these games could be a glorious homecoming for India’s women, and a chance for them to parade the World Cup to their adoring fans. We have all had to re-evaluate the hierarchy of world cricket over these last few days. It cannot be denied that New Zealand are worthy champions, able to win when it really mattered, fearless in their batting, controlled in their bowling, a smattering of star quality throughout, but able to make the team greater than the sum of its parts through shrewd captaincy and bit-part players having the confidence to step up at the right moment.
So what next for New Zealand? It will not be a surprise if they end up losing this series 3-0. India in India are a tough team to beat. Moreover, they are a team with a point to prove and who will be determined to win the ODI World Cup next year following their humbling by New Zealand and Australia in Dubai.
New Zealand’s weary players can then go to the WBBL and to their own domestic cricket and look forward to their next series: three ODIs in Wellington, the week before Christmas against Australia. Even if New Zealand lose all six of these matches, we know now not to be deceived. Like the Sword of Gryffindor, they take in only that which makes them stronger. Defeats do not damage them, they make them a better team for the games that really matter.
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