Photo Credit: ICC
As the final game to be held in Tauranga played out, there was a familiar scene at the Bay Oval as the West Indies took on Bangladesh.
Just as Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof had celebrated her half-century against Australia by mimicking rocking a baby, fellow new mother Afy Fletcher dedicated her first wicket to her son the day after her 35th birthday.
The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 has been a celebration of motherhood, with eight mothers and three travelling babies on board.
But Fletcher’s celebration was a reminder of the sacrifice some mothers are making to play in this tournament.
Fletcher’s young son Audee Henry is back in the Caribbean as his leg-spinning mum makes her return to the World Cup stage and after taking the wicket of Fargana Hoque, Fletcher celebrated by pretending to video call her child, saying ‘Hi baby’.
Her teammates joined in with waves and smiles showing the family away from home Fletcher has around her in New Zealand.
The wicket marked the start of the collapse that moved Bangladesh from comfortable to vulnerable as Fargana’s dismissal saw the Tigresses slip to 60 for three in pursuit of 141.
No runs were added in the two overs between Fargana’s wicket and that of Rumana Ahmed.
The score didn’t change and neither did Fletcher’s devastating bowling as she extracted the nick from experienced campaigner Rumana who was caught behind by Shemaine Campbelle for a five-ball duck.
Bangladesh were in trouble but couldn’t get their breath back as the relentless Fletcher had Ritu Moni LBW off the very next ball, meaning the Tigresses had lost three wickets without further troubling the scorers.
A review couldn’t spare Ritu, but Fletcher was saving the West Indies.
With the bat she was part of a vital eighth-wicket stand of 32 with Campbelle, the West Indies’ highest partnership until the wicketkeeper-batter added 36 with Karishma Ramharack for the ninth wicket.
Fletcher’s 17 off 28 balls allowed Campbelle to score more freely after she had dug in to halt the slide, ending the innings on 53 not out from 107 balls with her runs proving crucial to a narrow win.
Player of the Match Hayley Matthews took a career-best four for 15 to help sink Bangladesh and celebrated Fletcher’s on-field achievements as well as her role as a returning mother helping to trailblaze in the women’s game.
“It is brilliant. When you look at women’s sport nowadays, you see so many changes happening and it’s been fantastic that she’s been able to go become a mother and come back,” Matthews said.
“It speaks for her dedication, her age being probably 30-something at this point, so it’s fantastic that it is becoming more of a regular happenstance that women can leave the game and give birth and be able to come back to it knowing that they have that support around them.
“It’s brilliant to have her back. We saw today the type of class player that she is and we only expect good things from her going forward as always.”
And while the West Indies will look to get another win against Pakistan on Monday, Fletcher will first be calling home for real to tell Audee Henry all about what mum did today.
