Drumm wondered if New Zealand would ever learn
That was CLEAR White Ferns captain Emily Drumm's feeling after her side was dismissed for 184 in the CricInfo Women's World Cup final at BIL Oval
Lynn McConnell
24-Dec-2000
"At lunch today I thought, 'God, here we go again, we don't learn'."
That was CLEAR White Ferns captain Emily Drumm's feeling after her side was dismissed for 184 in the CricInfo Women's World Cup final at BIL Oval.
"I knew we would have to field out of our skins and bowl as well as ever.
"We should never have been able to defend that total. We were 30-40 runs short of what we should have got.
"How many times do you see teams die after a disappointing batting total. You only get one chance in a final.
"We never give up. You have to have faith and the ability to try things you have learnt in practice and over the years.
"And I'm so pleased the girls had faith in their ability to compete under pressure," she said.
Drumm added that she was sure if the game had been a normal Rosebowl encounter with Australia the Australians would have waltzed in.
However, she admitted the side felt that below the Australian top order the batting was suspect, especially in the different requirements of a World Cup final.
Making bowling decisions required some serious thought by Drumm and the choice to bring back Katrina Keenan had proved vital in keeping the pressure on Australia around the 30-over mark.
"I had to get her back on early, not only for wickets, but to create dot balls," she said.
Off-spinner Clare Nicholson had also done a good job because while tailenders can play pace bowling well enough they don't handle spin so well. That was behind her thinking when taking a seeming age to choose what to do about the final over.
"The '93 campaigners, (a reference to Debbie Hockley, Catherine Campbell and Drumm who were the three players remaining from New Zealand's loss at Lord's in the World Cup of that year) were talking about what to do and I decided to bowl Clare, then I wasn't happy with my field placings," she said.
What followed was the dismissal of Charmaine Mason from the first ball of the last over, caught at the wicket by Rebecca Rolls, to complete a stunning victory by four runs.