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

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.

During the winter we had monthly camps involving everything from skills, game plans, guest speakers, fitness, cooking skills, to a gruelling team challenge. We also had matches pre-season against representative boys. Our season started in October for a club competition and our domestic State competition started in early December. The State competition is extremely important for our preparation. It showed this year any team can be beaten and the competition was always closely fought and players put under pressure. The introduction of the State Twenty20 competition last year has proven to be successful and further develops the style of play we enjoy playing.

Our domestic season has been a huge success. The league has certainly evened up and there was certainly intense competition for places in the national side. During the last round four teams were fighting for the finals spot and the players were put under immense pressure.

No players this year went to England to play but we definitely will be sending some in the future. Suzie Bates had a short playing stint over in New South Wales, Australia. Playing Australia in their own backyard will be a challenge but it is one we are definitely up for. I have, in my 10 years of international cricket, played Australia the most. They have always been tough competition and a side with talented youngsters. We enjoy playing them and the two sides love to battle. I’d say the current New Zealand team is a well balanced side of youth and experience. We too have talented youngsters who will have an impact on the international arena. We have certainly got girls who are athletic and can bounce the ball and smack it to all parts. We are just looking forward to getting started.

To have two World Cup tournaments in a year is massive for our game, the development of it and the promotion of it. We have already at home had media interest and having the games televised will only do the game the better. I think the Twenty20 format of the game is the best way we can promote the game and showcase the skills that the women do have. The interest in Twenty20 cricket for the men globally is massive and to have our Twenty20 World Cup alongside the men can only be a good thing. I am sure all the teams competing in these two tournaments are just as excited as we are.

	"We all make huge sacrifices to play a game we are tremendously passionate about, so any financial remuneration that enables us to free up some of that precious time is an enormous help" © Getty Images

The White Ferns have just finished their second winter camp and boy is it winter. Lincoln in the summer can be freezing at the best of times, and our touring teams will vouch for that, but this past weekend we were treated to snow. For some of the North Island girls it was the first time they had actually seen snow falling! As you can imagine, it was very exciting and naturally the morning run was cancelled and the girls decided to make snowmen instead.

The camp was full of cricket, more cricket, guests and fun. The highlight of the camp would have to been the Ready Steady Cook challenge. It involved everyone being split into three teams and getting a list of ingredients to create their master piece. One group, that I was proud not to be a part of, suffered a series of unfortunate events which led to their main meal tasting like cat food. The other two teams actually made edible food. Steve Jenkin was the only brave soul to eat the cat food meal which for interest's sake consisted of a tuna, asparagus, baked beans and avocado wrap, with a stuffed potato consisting of those ingredients all over again. Hmm, not ideal!

We had the pleasure of Cate Sexton, who was the manager of the White Ferns team that won the World Cup in 2000, speaking to the group. Cate is now the Black Ferns [NZ women's rugby] manager, who are currently the World Champions. She shared her experiences with both successful teams and told us what she believes is the recipe to World Cup victory. From my personal experience Cate is the utmost professional who played a major part in us winning the World Cup in 2000. For me personally, as the only player left from that winning team, it brought back some wonderful memories as well a reminder of how old I am.

We also had the exciting news that Suzie Bates was named in the Tall Ferns [basketball] team to compete at the Beijing Olympics. We are all very proud of her achievement and we wish her the best. She is a talented sportswoman with a massive future in New Zealand sport.

It has been interesting reading about developments in other international teams around the world. I am personally pleased to see the women's game improving in the area of player contracts. It is an exciting time to be involved in the women's game and I too, like Shelley [Nitschke], am at the wrong end of my career. Obviously seeing Australia follow the ECB and I am sure the BCCI will follow, it seems like a natural progression for New Zealand Cricket to address this area for their international women.

As most international amateur sports people can empathise with, it can be extremely stressful working full-time, training like a professional athlete, participating in cricket series and occasionally spending time with your partner, friends and family. We all make huge sacrifices to play a game we are tremendously passionate about, so any financial remuneration that enables us to free up some of that precious time is an enormous help.

The White Ferns have some amazing young talent coming through [especially in the likes of Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine], and if we can make cricket a more attractive option through some financial assistance, it will enable NZC to secure their talents for the years to come.

I am currently teaching at Hillmorton High in Christchurch. Ann Brokenshire my Principal and her support staff have been fantastic with juggling my cricket days off. My Head of Department, Melissa Ruscoe is the current captain of the Black Ferns, so Hillmorton High is leading the way in girl power.

New Zealand has a very small population of four million people. We realise that our population is probably the size of a small Indian wedding [Mithali, I know I am one of your 4 million …] and, as a Kiwi, this fact makes me extra proud of our achievements. The White Ferns' World Cup squad have very clear goals in mind and we are extremely driven to fulfill these. We are all proud to wear the silver fern, call ourselves Kiwis and tell everyone our home is New Zealand.