Sophie Devine is a unique combination of humor, humility, and honesty. Additionally, she was honest when she said, “I thought I was going to get through this press conference without crying.”
It was a sincere feeling of disappointment; it is not an appeal for pity. New Zealand’s league-stage elimination from the Women’s World Cup 2025, a tournament tainted by heartbreaking losses and annoying weather delays, was punctuated by their 53-run loss to hosts India on Thursday.
Minutes later, Devine evaluated her team’s performance while carefully balancing sadness and responsibility.
“Isn’t it difficult? Jokes have been made about the weather since I know I’ve talked about [how] it’s following us. Your ultimate goal is simply to have the chance to play cricket. We controlled our destiny. We put ourselves under pressure after losing the first two games. Today, we were defeated. When the weather has affected almost half of your games, it’s difficult to think clearly.
However, we haven’t performed well enough. The 36-year-old stated in Navi Mumbai, “And that’s really tough because the work that this group’s put in over the last 12 months has been phenomenal.”
“That’s what sucks about sports sometimes, is you can work harder than anyone in the world, you can do all the right things, but it doesn’t guarantee your results out there when it matters. So that’s probably going to be the hardest pill to swallow about this campaign. I’m not sure what else we could have done as a group to be better prepared, to be fitter, to be more connected, I don’t know.
“But we’ve got to dissect it and figure out where we went wrong and where we can improve, which, yeah, it sucks. Unfortunately, there’s not much other ways to describe it. The work that this group’s put in – no one deserves anything, not just in cricket, but in life – but sometimes you wish that the good guys got the results. But, not to be this time.”
Devine examined the bigger picture, pointing out the structural issues that women’s cricket in New Zealand faces, such as a constrained supply chain and competition from other sports, in addition to the immediate disappointment. Although the sport’s professionalism has contributed to the team’s development of some depth that will help it go forward, Devine is aware that more consistent and extensive grassroots infrastructure and funding are required to provide a solid foundation for years to come.
The skipper remarked, “I am really excited and it’s taken a lot of time,” referring to her largely young team. “We need to be realistic about the fact that these things don’t happen overnight. Unlike India, we do not have a population of one billion people to call upon. With only 5 million citizens, we are a little nation at the bottom of the planet. Regretfully, cricket isn’t the most popular sport right now. Therefore, we will constantly be competing for the attention of young people.
“That’s what’s really exciting as a selling point to any youngsters in New Zealand at the moment. And that’s not just girls; it’s boys as well. It’s that the opportunities that cricket presents to you should be really attractive. We’re starting to see it now as the depth is starting to grow and it’s going to be a continual process. Just because we’ve brought a few young players through doesn’t mean it’s job done. So, there’s still lots of work to do in terms of our domestic structure, in terms of our contracting system providing opportunities.
“It’s not just about the money. You can’t just throw money at players and expect them to get better. It’s the resources, it’s the structure, it’s the pathways leading into the White Ferns because you can pay the top 15 – 20 players however much you want to, it doesn’t mean that they’re going to be good cricketers and what happens when they all leave. So, yeah, I think that’s the really exciting thing, but it’s also the most challenging thing, is how do you build that? And every country is different. As I just said, you guys have got a billion people here and how you work your domestic systems and structure is going to be very, very different to how we do it back in New Zealand. I’m really excited about where the future of the women’s game goes. The support, the attention that it’s had over here is really exciting and I think India can be at the forefront of where the women’s game can go.”
Prior to it, New Zealand must fight, with Devine taking the lead for the final time.
“After we get back up and get dressed, we’ll take a harsh stance against these English folks and give them a hard time. And on Sunday, hopefully, we’ll enjoy everything and be able to depart with a strong sense of accomplishment.”
Devine’s final ODI outing for New Zealand will take place on Sunday in Indore during the league’s final match against England. After guiding New Zealand to the World Cup last year, Devine resigned as captain of the T20I team, but she still wants to play in the shortest format, so this will mark the beginning of a new era of leadership. Devine had some amazing highs and equally depressing lows during her five years in command. She also explored the emotional roller coaster of being a top-level team leader.
Being genuine is incredibly essential to me, and not only for my group or myself, but also for you guys. People occasionally lose sight of the fact that we are emotional beings. We are more than just mindless robots who go out and play without feeling anything, including hurt or criticism. the expectations and remarks made about us. We all return home at the end of the day, sleep in beds, and have families to return to. Therefore, it’s crucial to keep in mind that we are all human and that words might cause pain at times.
“But we’ve also got to own up to it. It’s the profession we’re in. It’s a job. And unfortunately, this right now is a bloody tough thing for me to have to do. But I also want to front up and, yeah still be really proud of what this group’s been able to achieve. But it does – I’m not going to sugarcoat it – it sucks. Losing press conferences are probably the hardest ones to do, especially when you’ve been knocked out of a tournament.”
