Published: Feb 03, 2015, 06:29 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 03, 2015, 06:29 PM (IST)
At the age of 14, what were you doing? What was your life’s aim? Did you even think that you’ll do what you are doing now?
The turn of the millennium is still fresh in our minds and here we have someone, born in this century and being talked about for her feats against players who were probably of her age when she was born. Here we have a 14-year-old, Amelia Kerr from New Zealand, who seems to have mastered the most difficult art – bowling leg-spin. She played for domestic team Wellington Blaze in the New Zealand’s Women Twenty20 (T20) Domestic tournament final against Otago Blaze. This was Kerr’s first televised match since her debut for Blaze, two months ago and she performed like a pro.
Kerr, who will start year 10 at Tawa College, has already played a good number of List A (One-Day) and T20 matches for Wellington Blaze. In her first televised game in the T20 finals, she handled everything like a pro in front of the cameras and fans, shooting to instant fame.
The match was played on January 24, which Wellington Blaze won by 10 wickets. Sparks were bundled for 97 runs in 19.5 overs which the Blaze chased down in 15.2 overs. Kerr’s spell of 4-0-19-3 was instrumental in the victory and trophy for Blaze.
Kerr came on to bowl in the 13th over when Sparks were 60 for three, her first ball was smashed to a boundary but she recovered well then after and nearly got a wicket in her fourth delivery when the batswoman lofted the ball towards the long-off fielder but unfortunately, she dropped an easy catch. She ended the over well with seven off it. In the second over, she bowled with beautiful variations which included the traditional flight, the quicker ones as well the deceiving googlies; she was backed by some smart fielding. The commentators kept on lauding the young girl who was in midst of a gem of a spell.
In her final two overs, it seemed like a seasoned leg-spinner bowling. Her first delivery, she bowled a slider which the batswoman played it straight but the ball hit the inside edge and the pad and hit the stumps, but to her misfortune the bails weren’t knocked off. But the very next ball, she bowled the wrong one and managed to knock the bails over. A beautiful loop which the batswoman Emma Campbell, who tried to play the cut short but it took the inside edge on to the stumps. She continued with fine bowling during the over as the commentators spoke high of her googly and compared her with the legendary Shane Warne (a fit far-fetched, as he is the benchmark).
Her high arm action and perfect wrist work impressed the commentators. Her final over and the innings 19th over, her first ball, almost got her a wicket. It looked it was a leg before but the umpire ruled it in batsman’s favour. The third ball, she bowled a quicker one outside off as the batswoman Morna Nielsen came out of her crease to smash the ball, instead missed it completely as wicket-keeper Rachel Priest completed a neat stumping. The thinking of a bowler can be perfectly judged by the next delivery he/she bowls after getting a wicket. Kerr bowled outside off the first one and the next one, she followed it with a ball coming into the batswoman. She got M Cowan plum in front of the wicket as Kerr took two in two. On her hat-trick ball, she tried to bowl a quick yorker but it turned out to be a low full toss which the batswoman smacked for runs.
Kerr gathered rich praise from her fellow players as well as the commentators. The composure, the variations shown by the young girl and the level of thought going into each delivery is remarkable. Even talking to the media was a no fuss for her as she said, “I don’t really get too nervous. It was a pretty cool feeling after the game.”
Kerr thanked Ivan Tissera, her coach and spin bowling expert at Cricket Wellington, “He (Tissera) has done a lot for my bowling. I’ve been working on it (variations) since I was 11 or 12. I started bowling leg-spin when I was 10 and used to turn it heaps playing on artificials with the bounce but today it was just skidding but my googly turned a lot.”
Kerr aims to be an all-rounder and she has proven herself with a fine hundred with the bat for her college last year according to cricketworld.com. She said, “Once I get a bit stronger and older I’d like to become an all-rounder. When I play boys cricket, I’m a batter who doesn’t bowl.”
Wellington Blaze’s skipper, Sophie Devine who also made her debut at the age of 14, had words of encouragement for Kerr, “She’s unbelievable. She’s bowled a couple of last overs during our season and doesn’t get fazed. Thinking back to that age, I would’ve been crapping my pants, but she’s had a fantastic first year. She’s an exciting talent and, if we look after her and let her grow up, she could be a world beater.”
New Zealand will surely hope for young Kerr to sharpen her skills further and make it to the White Ferns side for the 2017 World Cup in England and repeat the feat of Emily Drumm, when they lifted the cup for the first time in 2000. A leg-spinner in any format is a treat to watch.
