VISAKHAPATNAM: When Lea Tahuhu landed in India for the first time with the White Ferns, it was for the 2013 ODI World Cup. Back then, the New Zealander was a tearaway quick who hit the pitch hard and rattled batting line-ups. Her role in that team was to take the new ball and run in as hard as she could and let it fly. On the dry pitches of Cuttack and Mumbai, Tahuhu breathed fire, taking seven wickets at 22.71 as New Zealand finished fourth in the tournament.
Twelve years have passed since. Tahuhu is in India again for yet another ODI World Cup. In her own words, the 35-year-old is no longer the tearaway quick — she still runs in with the same intensity and fire, but perhaps a few yards slower. In fact, Tahuhu, Suzie Bates, and skipper Sophie Devine are deemed the designated ‘grandmas’ of the team, which is infused with the next generation of players.
Ask her what it feels like to be a fast bowler for more than 15 years, and she chuckles. "Yeah, it's been a long time since I've been doing it, I suppose," Tahuhu laughs. "You have your ups and downs as a pace bowler. Obviously, there are injuries and bits and pieces. You have to be quite resilient and come back from those. But I think you never lose that fire as a fast bowler. It's nice to be able to bowl a little bit quicker and put the batters on the back foot at times. So, yeah, you put a lot of preparation into that," she explains in a conversation with The New Indian Express.
What has helped her sustain the intensity and be successful at the highest level is the ability to adapt to the needs of the team while also taking the next generation of pacers along with her. She knows the game has changed drastically in the last decade, so has her body and the expectations of the team from her. "Now, I sort of probably am a little bit more through the middle. I think the variations in the women's game have become really important. We're expecting some flat pitches, you know, and there can be some tough conditions for bowlers. I think it's just using variations, it's keeping stumps in play as much as possible," says Tahuhu.
Her skipper, Devine, called Tahuhu a "mongrel in the most positive way" in trying to describe what she brings to the table. "The way that she's been able to adapt through that middle, she's such a threat because she can still attack the stump. She's still got a short ball. She's still got the extra bit of pace to put batters under pressure. So, the fact that she's been able to almost reinvent herself through that middle," said Devine after their loss against Australia last week.
While Tahuhu has been through a bit of a rollercoaster journey on the field, the same has been the case off it. Shortly after the 2022 home ODI World Cup, Tahuhu and her partner Amy Satterthwaite — former New Zealand captain — were left out of central contracts. Tahuhu, who has the most ODI wickets for New Zealand and was the joint-highest wicket-taker for her team in 2022, found herself and her young family (which included their daughter Grace) in a tricky position. Satterthwaite retired, but the family fought on.
Tahuhu played in The Hundred, came into the team for the Commonwealth Games and hasn't looked back since. She went on to play two more T20 World Cups and lifted the trophy on the second occasion, along with Devine and Bates. In that time frame, her family has grown with Tahuhu and Amy welcoming their son, Louie, last year. These last few years, and being a parent along with Amy, have helped her continue playing for New Zealand while also putting life into perspective. "When you have children, it gives you a real perspective. You can get really wrapped up, I suppose, in cricket. If you had a bad day or whatever, you can dwell on that a little bit. But when you've got kids that you're going home to, you're not able to do that. You walk in the door, and after a game, no matter what's happened, they're there and they're smiling and they're happy to see you. I think that's just given me a fantastic perspective being a mother," says Tahuhu.
"I'm incredibly lucky that Amy completely understands what I'm going through and is trying to prepare. She's incredibly supportive. Yeah, it's been great to have six months at home with the family (in the lead up to the World Cup). They're not travelling over, unfortunately, but that's okay. I'm incredibly lucky to have the support that I've got back home. Not just from immediate family, but we've got a wide base that helps us out when I'm away and covers that."
On the field, there is a tough road ahead for Tahuhu and White Ferns, who will be looking for their first win against Bangladesh on Friday. Their captain, Devine, has already announced that she will be retiring after the World Cup. Though this group, including Tahuhu, Devine and Bates, lifted the T20 World Cup together last year, they are keen to do it again. "Winning that last year was incredibly special for everyone. But I guess the three of us have been around a lot, been through a lot, had our ups and downs in the environment. We're back again. We're ready to go again," says Tahuhu, before adding, "Sophie said that this will be her last World Cup. I think it's probably not a stretch to think it's probably Suzie (37) and my last one as well. They (WCs) are four years apart, and we're not getting any younger. We're just looking to enjoy it as much as we can. We've played a lot of cricket together. We will do everything we can to help the team lift that World Cup."
The first step towards that would be to put behind the two losses and get the two crucial points in Guwahati on Friday.
