At 32 years of age, nobody has scored more runs in T20I cricket than Bates and nobody has played more games in the format
Born: September 16, 1987
Role: Right-hand bat, right-arm medium
Born in 1987, Bates’ cricketing childhood came alongside her two older brothers. However, it was while playing for her high school in Otago that she was first spotted.
By her mid-teens, she was playing for Otago Sparks in the country’s national women’s league.
She would make her international debut in 2006 against India, the beginning of a national service that has spanned well over a decade and more than 200 games for the White Ferns.
While her ability with the ball first came to the fore with a four-wicket haul during the 2009 World Cup against South Africa, her innings of 168 against Pakistan during the same tournament highlighted the extent of her talent.
It remains the seventh-highest individual score in women’s ODI history.
Like Sophie Devine, who also played hockey for her country, Bates’ pedigree stretches across sports.
She represented New Zealand as a basketball player at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Three years later, though, her focus would centre on cricket as she took on the captaincy.
At the 2013 World Cup, she would be named as the player of the tournament.
At 32 years of age, nobody has scored more runs in T20I cricket than Bates and nobody has played more games in the format.
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