Keenan goes into World Cup with a song in her heart

New Zealand women's fast bowler Katrina Keenan has had some good news going into the CricInfo Women's World Cup starting on November 29.

A song she penned is No 1 on the Country 88FM daily chart in Canterbury.

The song If Ever I've Been Loved was recorded at Geoff Cavander's Cass Bay recording studio.

The 29-year-old, who is New Zealand Cricket's women's development officer, is a member of a trio called the Fab Three who play gigs all around the South Island.

"I've got an interest in music and I would really to have some involvement in it in the future.

"I write as a hobby and I've always had an interest in the entertainment industry," she said.

Keenan doesn't write music as such. She gets an idea of a melody, records it on a dictaphone and works with music writers to turn her thoughts into sound.

"I found this tune [If Ever I've Been Loved] was in my mind all the time. I sat down with Geoff Cavander at his studio and we went through a few chords. He put it down on and then I went in and did the vocals.

"You get a funny feeling hearing your own voice," she said after hearing the recording tapes.

The music connection at New Zealand Cricket has been a help. Apart from the obvious interest from former opera singer Christopher Doig, who is the chief executive and who has helped her with some breathing exercises, there is also the interest in country music of the director of coaching development, John Howell.

It was Howell who Keenan turned to for an assessment of her song. She hadn't previously written country-type music and wasn't sure whether it fitted the bill.

He was impressed and played it to some contacts at Country 88FM.

"They said they were pleasantly surprised and they added it to their computerised playlist.

"It's been No 1 for the last three nights in a row," she said.

What has been a delight for her is that she has been competing with a Country legend like Kenny Rogers.

"I would like to look into it a little more in the future.

"Just as I am in cricket, I am pretty ambitious. I've got another song I've written which is also in the Country mode," she said.

Country music wasn't an area of singing that she had concentrated on. While she never put her hand up while at school to perform in the school productions, she did have an interest in all areas of music.

"If Christopher Doig said to me, 'You'd be a good opera singer', I'd give that a try.

"I've written a jazz song which I think would be good for a boys' band. There are lots of different scopes."

For the moment she is preferring to concentrate on the preparations for the CricInfo Women's World Cup.

"Singing is a relaxant for me. I get a buzz out of going out to sing, just the same as I do when I go out to play cricket.

"The guys at Country 88FM have some contacts in the US but it will have to wait until after the World Cup what we do with the song and where I need to go with it," she said.

Mumbai Indians (MI) secured the last remaining IPL 2025 playoffs spot thanks to a late onslaught from Suryakumar Yadav and Naman Dhir followed by crafty three-fors from Mitchell Santner and Jasprit Bumrah. Delhi Capitals, led by Faf du Plessis with regular captain Axar Patel ruled out by flu, were knocked out of contention. Having won each of their first four matches of the season, they have won just two of their next nine.

Put in to bat on a spin-friendly Wankhede Stadium pitch with rain on the cards, MI were in some trouble at 132 for 5 but Suryakumar and Dhir smacked 48 runs off the last two overs to lift them to 180.

DC's chase never got going with Faf du Plessis and KL Rahul falling cheaply. A comeback seemed to be on the cards, with Sameer Rizvi and Ashutosh Sharma putting on 38 as a drizzle began, but Santner ensured that it wasn't to be.

MI's innings started with Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton punishing full balls in the first two overs before Mustafizur Rahman's angle away from Rohit's bat found the edge when he tried to drive him.

Vipraj Nigam, brought on in the fourth over, found turn but was pulled for two fours by Will Jacks when he dropped short. Jacks hit a four and a six in the next over, off Mustafizur, before Mukesh Kumar undid him by going pace-off in the sixth over, and Nigam completed the job with a good catch running back. MI finished the powerplay 54 for 2.

Suryakumar survived a top-edged sweep that landed safely behind short fine leg but Rickelton was less fortunate next ball as he toed his slog-sweep to deep backward square leg to hand Kuldeep Yadav his 100th IPL wicket.

Nigam mixed up his lengths and created two near-chances in the tenth over while Kuldeep bowled consistently and kept the batters quiet. DC gave away just 26 runs in the first four post-powerplay overs, leaving MI 80 for 3 at the halfway mark.

The return of pace helped MI release some pressure, with Tilak Varma lapping Dushmantha Chameera for six in the 11th over and Suryakumar stepping out to drive Mustafizur over mid-off for another maximum in the 14th. In between, though, Nigam and Kuldeep conceded just nine in two overs.

Suryakumar pulled Mukesh for four to start the 15th over, but Tilak fell four balls later, too early into a pull off a slower ball. When Hardik sliced a lofted drive to short third off Chameera in the 17th, MI were 123 for 5.

Suryakumar brought up a 36-ball fifty at the start of the 19th over, launching Mukesh over the covers for six. Then Dhir let loose, going 4, 6, 6, 4 to end a 27-run over, as Mukesh, suffering from cramps, missed three yorkers and then offered room when he went into the pitch.

The onslaught continued in the final over where Suryakumar dined on Chameera's pace-on offerings. This time, he farmed the strike and whacked two sixes over deep midwicket and two fours through the off side to finish on a high. A highlight was a dab off a near-perfect yorker that rolled wide of the keeper for four. Suryakumar scored 28 off the last eight balls of his innings, while Dhir walked off unbeaten on 24 off eight.

Suryakumar's unbeaten 73, meanwhile, was his 13th successive 25-plus score in T20s, a joint record alongside Temba Bavuma.

KL Rahul and du Plessis, DC's most experienced batters, made their intent clear by putting away the first balls they faced to the boundary. But their attack was shortlived as du Plessis holed out to long-on off a slower ball from Deepak Chahar and Rahul - who charged early and made too much room - was caught behind off Trent Boult.

Will Jacks spun his first ball square and then got one to go straight, beating Abishek Porel to have him stumped, a close call that went in the bowler's favour. Jacks then bowled a no-ball, which allowed the promoted Nigam to get off the mark with a six over cover.

Nigam hit three more fours in his next four balls, but with DC 49 for 3 at the end of the powerplay with all four of Bumrah's overs remaining, MI were well ahead.

Santner capitalised on MI's start and the conditions, ripping the ball away from Nigam's bat before firing the next one in quicker to have him caught and bowled. Bumrah then got an offcutter to beat Tristan Stubbs' inside edge to reduce DC to 65 for 5 in the tenth over.

DC seemed all but done when a drizzle began and eased things up a bit. Ashutosh whacked loopy deliveres from Karn Sharma for a four and a six in the 11th over, and Rizvi picked up another four in between when Jacks ran too in too far from long-off and overran the ball.

Santner then beat Ashutosh and almost had Rizvi caught and bowled but the batters survived, and DC kept chipping away, going past 100 in the 14th over. Their task was still steep, though: 78 off the last six overs.

With the drizzle in the background, Santner darted a full ball at Rizvi before slowing the pace down to 77kph to beat his sweep and hit middle stump. The game was effectively over three balls later when Santner had Ashutosh stumped. It was a juicy length ball angling in towards the stumps that spun away a mile and beat the inside-out drive.

Santner's three-for came at the cost of just 11 runs in four overs, the joint-fewest conceded by a spinner in an IPL match at Wankhede. Bumrah and Karn then cleaned up the tail, helping MI qualify for the playoffs for the 11th time in 18 seasons.