The Cricket World Cup 2022 is in the home stretch, without New Zealand in the running, but the White Ferns of 2000 are being celebrated. David Leggat discovers where NZ's only victorious World Cup side are now.
As the triumphant White Ferns of 2000 walked around the boundary of Hagley Oval, the crowd rose to their feet and applauded.
“The crowd reaction was extraordinary – it was overwhelmingly emotional,” says Debbie Hockey, now president of New Zealand Cricket, but also a member of that team. The only New Zealand team, it should be said, to have won a World Cup.
Twelve of the 15 players from that successful squad had a reunion at the White Ferns’ final game of this World Cup, in Christchurch on Saturday.
“It was like being back in the changing room again,” says Rebecca Rolls, the White Ferns keeper who took the winning catch in the final victory over Australia, 22 years ago.
The team also received winners medals from the ICC, to recognise what the team had done for cricket in New Zealand. (It wasn’t until 2005 the International Women’s Cricket Council merged with the ICC to form one unified body).
“The medal was a really nice touch,” Rolls says. “On the day you win, you don’t think about things like that happening in 20 years’ time. It made us feel pretty special.
“As time goes on, you understand more and more how impactful it was. It was certainly one of those sliding doors stories of cricket, when everything just comes together at the right time for everybody.”
The team still have a strong connection, through an online message group.
“The flashbacks are still there. Twenty-odd years later your life gets in the way – but it was a brilliant day,” says the captain of the time, Emily Drumm.
So where are they all now?
Emily Drumm
Auckland, aged 26 at time of tournament, 101 career ODIs, allrounder
Drumm was captain and leading run scorer for the White Ferns in the 2000 tournament, with 339 at an average of 67, despite missing two games early with a fractured finger. An outstanding figure in the campaign, she’s regarded as one of New Zealand’s best women cricketers. Now a mother of two living in Auckland, Drumm works for Canon as strategic enterprise account manager, and has been a radio commentator at this World Cup.
Anna O’Leary
Wellington, 22, 19 ODIs, batter
Now Anna Smith, she opened the batting and was the second-most prolific batter in the 2000 New Zealand squad with 308 runs, at an average of 51. Now living in Auckland, she has a bachelor of business studies, sports management and marketing, and works in marketing support for New Zealand Medical and Scientific, providing equipment to the medical and scientific community.
Haidee Tiffen
Canterbury, 21, 117 ODIs, allrounder
After making her debut against South Africa aged 19 in the 1998-99 season, Tiffen took eight wickets during the 2000 World Cup with her medium pacers. She went on to captain the White Ferns, leading them to the final of the 2009 World Cup against England before retiring soon after. A talented allrounder, she took 49 wickets and averaged 30.7 with the bat and was noted as a skilled fielder and fast between the wickets. Tiffen, who also played representative hockey and rugby, was the White Ferns coach for four years until 2019. She’s been a teacher in Christchurch for many years, most recently head of health at Kaiapoi High School.
Clare Nicholson
Auckland, 33, 35 ODIs, allrounder
Called on to bowl the final over in the World Cup decider, Nicholson took the last wicket to cue massive celebrations. That final wicket of tailender Charmaine Mason proved to be the final ball Nicholson bowled for the White Ferns - one of four players who didn’t play for their country again after that match. Offspinner Nicholson finished her six-year White Ferns career with best bowling figures of 4-18 and batting 73 not out, both against Pakistan in 1997. Today she’s involved in women’s cricket development at the North Shore club.
Rebecca Rolls
Auckland, 25, 104 ODIs, wicketkeeper/batter.
An aggressive batter at the top of the order, keeper Rolls took the catch to win the World Cup. A double international, she also represented the Football Ferns in two stints, including the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. She was just the second New Zealander after Debbie Hockley to reach 1000 ODI runs. Rolls has held leadership roles in the Police, the Serious Fraud Office and the Department of Corrections. She’s now a member of the New Zealand Cricket board, works as the diversity and inclusion manager at Sport New Zealand, and is a highly regarded cricket commentator.
Kathryn Ramel
Auckland, 27, 47 ODIs, allrounder
Ramel is one of just three players – along with Hockley and Catherine Campbell - to play all nine games at the 2000 World Cup. A medium pacer, Ramel took 10 wickets, the second-most for the White Ferns during the tournament, but crucially top scored with 41 in the final against Australia. Later vice-captain of the White Fens, she would play 47 ODIs until 2002. A teacher, she is now principal at Snells Beach School, north of Auckland.
Helen Watson
Auckland, 28, 66 ODIs, allrounder
A key figure in the 2000 campaign, Watson was an outstanding fielder who ran out two Australians in the final, and took eight wickets in the tournament with her medium pacers. A NZ indoor cricket international, too, Watson played nine years for the White Ferns, helping them to the semifinal of the 2005 World Cup. Now living in Auckland, she is the chief financial officer for the Hind Management group, and is on the board of the NZ Cricket Players’ Association Trust.
Rachel Pullar
Otago, 23, 51 ODIs, allrounder
A true southerner, Balclutha-born Pullar was a lively medium pacer who holds the fourth best all-time women’s ODI analysis for her 5-7 against South Africa in 1999. Pullar took 74 wickets in her 51 ODIs at an outstanding 16.4 apiece. She took eight wickets during the World Cup, including two in the final. Still living in the south, Pullar has degrees in physical education and commerce. She’s head of digital for Port Otago and is a member of the Otago Cricket board.
Debbie Hockley
Canterbury, 38, 118 ODIs, batter
Hockley is one of only three New Zealanders inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, alongside Sir Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe. The 2000 World Cup final at Lincoln was her 118th and last ODI in a career spanning almost 19 years. An outstanding cricketer, she was the first women to reach 4000 ODI runs, first to play 100 ODIs and is still the highest scorer in World Cup history (1501 runs). Hockley, a trained physiotherapist, is now the first woman president of NZ Cricket, and has been an international TV commentator at this World Cup.
Catherine Campbell
Canterbury, 37, 85 ODIs, offspinner
The unofficial “mother of New Zealand cricket”, Campbell was working for New Zealand Cricket helping organise the 2000 tournament (and playing too) and is still there today, as cricket operations general manager. She’s been involved in the organisation of this World Cup, too. One of the veterans of the team in 2000, she did a good job with her neat offspinners, playing all nine games, taking seven wickets. She played at four World Cups over 12 years, earning the nickname “Dot” for her miserly off-spin. The 2000 final, in which she took the important wicket of Zoe Goss to keep the heat on the Aussies, was her last international. She also had a couple of stints as White Ferns manager.
Paula Flannery
Canterbury, 26, 17 ODIs, batter
Born in Clyde, Central Otago, and a former NZ U21 hockey international, Flannery made her White Ferns debut just before the World Cup began, against England. A top order batter, Flannery guided New Zealand to comfortable victories with unbeaten scores of 49 and 36 against Ireland and the Netherlands early in the tournament. She played for the White Ferns until 2004, including New Zealand’s last test match. Flannery spent time living in England, playing men’s club cricket alongside her future husband, Andy Winsor. With their two children, they now live in Christchurch, where Flannery has been involved in coaching girls cricket, including the Future Magicians. She has recently started working with Special Olympics.
Erin McDonald
Central Districts, 20, 3 ODIs, left arm spinner
The youngster of the White Ferns squad, McDonald was born in Lower Hutt and played for Wellington and Central Districts. She made her international debut against England in a warm-up to the tournament. McDonald, now Farley, was an engineering student at the time of the tournament, and moved to the UK to work as a structural engineer. She now lives in Melbourne, where she is a senior design engineer specialising in structural engineering with Aurecon (she worked on the design of a new underground rail line for the city) and is a mother to two sons.
Nicola Payne
Canterbury, 31, 65 ODIs (28 for NZ, 37 for Netherlands), allrounder
Canadian-born Payne represented the Netherlands in more than half her 65 ODIs – including three World Cups - before switching her allegiance to the White Ferns. An opening batter, she settled in Christchurch, playing for the Magicians, and would play 28 ODIs for the White Ferns until injuries forced her retirement in 2003. Since 2013, Payne (now Wilson) has lived in Scotland and is now head of development at Cricket Scotland.
Emily Travers
Central Districts, 22, 3 ODIs, wicketkeeper
The reserve wicketkeeper to Rebecca Rolls, Travers only had a couple of games during the tournament. Born in Hunterville, Travers played three ODIs, without batting or taking any dismissals behind the stumps. She worked as sponsorship manager for the Auckland Blues rugby franchise, and is now head of commercial projects and events at NZME.
Katrina Keenan
Canterbury, 29, 54 ODIs, bowler
A key contributor to the White Ferns success, Keenan was a lively medium pacer who was leading wicket taker with 12 wickets at 10 apiece during the Cup. In addition to her wicket taking, she was extremely economical. She dismissed Australian opener Lisa Keightley for a duck with the fourth ball of Australia’s final chase for 185, to immediately set the Aussies back. The 2000 World Cup final was her 54th and final international. Keenan worked as national development officer for NZ Cricket, before spending four years coaching the Japanese women’s cricket team. She returned home to coach the White Ferns at the 2013 World Cup, where they were fourth. Keenan, a keen singer, has been working in the emergency department at Christchurch Hospital, and is a commentator and roving ground announcer at this World Cup.
Team management
The White Ferns coach of the 2000 campaign, former Black Cap Mike Shrimpton, died in 2015. His assistant coach, Black Cap batting legend John F Reid, died in 2020.
The team manager, Cate Sexton, was a top netballer, who went on to manage the Black Ferns and until recently, was the head of women's rugby at NZ Rugby. She received her ICC medal with the team in Christchurch.
* Australia are through to Sunday's World Cup final after a comprehensive 157-run victory over the West Indies in a rain-reduced game in Wellington. Opener Alyssa Healy smashed 129 as she and Rachael Haynes put on 216 for the first wicket, to set up a mammoth total of 305/3 from 45 overs. England meet South Africa in the second semifinal in Christchurch today.
