And while Bates knows much of the Kiwis’ fortunes will rest with her and Devine, she knows how good the next generation of New Zealand players are and believes they can deliver in the same way they did when they won the T20 World Cup title in Dubai last year.
“We have got some new faces, but some of our players that have been around the group for a long time,” Bates said.
“Eden Carson was outstanding at the 20-over (T20) World Cup and she’s such a young player still, Georgia Plimmer had a really great tournament and led from the front with the bat and we’ve got a really exciting prospect with left-armer Bree Illing.
“We haven’t had a left-arm seamer in the New Zealand side since Sian Ruck and that was a long time ago. So it’s going to be exciting to see her let the ball fly and swing the ball. And we’ve also got a very talented all-rounder in Flora Devonshire.
“Even though I’ve had five (World Cups), I’m just as excited for their first one and hopefully they just embrace it all and I can share a little bit of knowledge about World Cups with them.”
New Zealand squad: Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Flora Devonshire, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Bree Illing, Polly Inglis, Bella James, Melie Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Georgia Plimmer, Lea Tahuhu
