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« March 2009 |
April 2, 2009
The pride of playing for New Zealand
Posted by Haidee Tiffen at
in New Zealand cricket
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Haidee Tiffen: "I have been a part of the winning World Cup team in 2000 and made friendships I know will last forever"
© Getty Images
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I had been thinking about retiring for a while and had spoken to my friends and family at Christmas about the thoughts of retiring. I know it is probably a bit odd at the timing of my retirement ahead of the World Twenty20 but I have had plenty of agonising hours deciding when it was right. I know in my heart before the World Cup that it was time. I thoroughly enjoyed the World Cup and I always wanted to retire on a high note and I feel I have done that. There is a new era of young talented White Ferns that I know will continue to represent our country with huge pride and passion. I know they will continue doing well. I will always be following the girls’ journey.
One reason for my decision to retire was the loss of earnings for us while we are on tour. It is very difficult to balance full time teaching and full-time cricket. If I was paid I probably would still be playing. It is hard to keep the balance and I know it has been my choice for the past few years and I certainly did not play for money, I played because I am hugely passionate about cricket and my country. The positive thing in the women’s game is that the playing programme for the women has grown but there is far more of a time commitment now in order to prepare for those tours and I suppose the loss of earnings on tour did come into account in my decision to retire. It is not the main reason but certainly a part of the reason.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my cricketing journey. I have been apart of a Timaru Girls High School team that won the National secondary school title in New Zealand, I have been apart of the huge history of successful State championships with Canterbury. I have played for my country for 10 years and captained out great nation, I have been a part of the winning World Cup team in 2000 and I have played alongside some amazing Kiwis. Not to mention I have met some amazing people from all over the world and made friendships I know will last forever. I have learnt a lot during my playing days, have had fantastic successes, gut-wrenching losses, been coached by brilliant coaches and I know all my experiences have shaped me in becoming the person I am today. I would never change anything I have experienced.
Looking ahead to New Zealand women’s cricket’s future, I think there are three players the world should be looking out for. Not only are they all outstanding allrounders but they all are fantastic ambassadors for our country. They are Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine and Lucy Doolan. All talented and skilled in their own right and I believe they all will be highly ranked players in the world.
And I can assure you this is not the last you will see of me in the cricketing scene. I will continue to do some coaching here in New Zealand and I want to get my Level 3 coaching certificate. Maybe you might see me behind a microphone at future tournaments. I would certainly love to be involved in some way in the future and still continue to help raise the women’s profile as the women’s game is worth investing time into.
Comments (17)
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| The Contributors |
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Mithali Raj, India's former captain, has been on the international circuit for a decade. In August 2006, she led India to their first-ever Test and series win in England and capped off the year by winning the Asia Cup - the second time in 12 months - without dropping a game. India, under her captaincy, also reached the World Cup final in 2005. Now, as one of the senior members of the side, and the premier batsman, a lot will be riding on her for the two World Cups - 50-over and Twenty20 - that India will play in 2009. |
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Urooj Mumtaz managed to juggle a course in dentistry along with captaining Pakistan. Their most recent triumph was qualifying for the World Cup next year and the 22-year old Urooj will lead a young team to Australia in hope of creating a favourable impression of the Pakistan women's team among the other sides as well as back home. A legspinner, she has a hat-trick against Zimbabwe. |
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Cri-zelda Brits became South Africa’s captain at the age of 23, standing in for Shandre Fritze in the home series against Pakistan in 2007. She followed this by captaining the side to a 3-0 series whitewash against the Netherlands as well as winning the first-ever Test between the two sides by 159 runs. In 2008 she scored her maiden ODI hundred and led South Africa to a spot in the World Cup after beating Pakistan in the Qualifiers final in Stellenbosch. She also coaches the Northwest women's team, based in Potchefstroom, and runs her own academy. |
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Shelley Nitschke combines playing for Australia and her state with working in cricket, as a school officer. A useful spinner, her batting is also worth talking about – she has developed into a handy allrounder. Her major achievements to date are winning the 2005 World Cup, taking 7 for 24 against England in Kidderminster in 2005 and being nominated for the ICC Women's Player of the Year in 2006-07. Although she has played netball, softball and basketball, cricket has always been her stand-out sport. |
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Ebony Rainford-Brent made history as one of eight England players to be handed a Chance to Shine coaching contract, allowing her flexibility around training. A top-order batsman, she fought back from what doctors thought was a career-killing back injury and could one day bowl again – calling her determined is an understatement. She is on the Surrey Academy and her Super 4s side is Diamonds. Proficient in basketball and athletics, she settled for playing cricket … and the drums. |
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Haidee Tiffen has played for New Zealand for more than ten years and is now their captain, having begun her career with Otago Under-21s before heading to Canterbury. She has played representational hockey, basketball and rugby – but cricket is her passion and won out over New Zealand junior hockey. She is particularly proud of winning the World Cup in 2000, reaching the 100-ODI milestone and being skipper. Her experience also includes playing for Sussex for two winters and she was also part of the first female academy in Lincoln. Somehow she also finds time to teach Health and PE at Hillmorton High School. |
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Isobel Joyce,a class bat with a steely mentality, comes from a family full of cricketers - twin sister Cecilia plays alongside her for Ireland and brother Dom for the men’s national team, while another brother, Ed, plays for England and Middlesex. Her first half-century came against a strong New Zealand attack in Dublin in 2004 and her figures of 4 for 20 helped her side beat Scotland by six wickets in the European Championship in 2001, where Ireland won all their three matches. Her 46 against Netherlands in the summer of 2007 helped to maintain her place in the World Cup qualifiers in South Africa. She was in outstanding form with both and ball during the tournament, scoring 148 runs at 37 and taking 10 wickets at an average of 7. She ran out five Pakistani players in Ireland's first match, before earning two successive Player-of-the-Match awards against Scotland and then Zimbabwe, against whom she scored 70 and took 4 for 10. She was named captain for their next series, against West Indies, after Heather Whelan pulled out because she was expecting. |
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Nadine George has been a regular for West Indies since her debut in 1999. She first led the side on their tour of Europe in June-July 2008, when West Indies thrashed Ireland and Netherlands while putting up a respectable performance against England. Nadine combines playing for West Indies and her national team, St.Lucia, with her day job as a Sergeant in the Police Marine Unit of the Royal St.Lucia Police Force. A left-hand batsman and wicketkeeper, Nadine says the highlights of her career are receiving an MBE at Buckingham Palace in 2005, being the first West Indies woman cricketer to score a century in a Test (in Pakistan in 2004), playing in the World Cup in South Africa (2005), and playing club cricket in Australia in 2006. Nadine also plays netball and volleyball and loves the marine environment and is passionate about diving. She is a qualified open water diver and during her working hours captains a 65 and 82 ft vessel. Her motto in life is "with hard work and dedication one can achieve". |
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