Amelia Kerr, a promising young player from New Zealand, has talked openly about her struggles with mental illness, her passion for the game, and the hotly contested run out of Englishman Charlie Dean by Indian Deepti Sharma.
Before a busy summer of cricket, which includes a home ICC Women’s Championship series against Bangladesh and a Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa, Kerr joined Nasser Hussain and former international teammate Frankie Mackay in the most recent episode of the 100% Cricket Podcast, which was recorded while they were on tour in the West Indies.
Mental health initiative
The 21-year-old all-around athlete said how she has been able to maintain a balance in her mental health thanks to effective mechanisms in place.
As Kerr said on the 100% Cricket Podcast, “I’m in a point with cricket where I don’t go too high or too low on cricket because I know it’s a bit of a rollercoaster of a game, so you’ve got to stay level.”
“For me, I’m simply doing what I absolutely love, fulfilling my childhood dream, so at the end of the day, whether things go well or not, I genuinely love the sport, I love working out, and I love every aspect of it.”
In her limited leisure time, Kerr has been working on her own mental health programme, Out of the Rough. She has praised people like fellow cricketers who have contributed to “normalising” the subject.
“It’s fantastic to see people being candid about why they’re moving away from the game,” Kerr said. “We’ve seen more folks, like Nat Sciver and Meg Lanning.”
“(Out of the Rough) is very exciting for me because it’s a subject I’m very enthusiastic about, and I suppose that’s the line of work and study I want to pursue.
It’s something I want to discuss in public.
Kerr’s busy schedule
Kerr will briefly return to New Zealand following the Caribbean tour before flying to Australia for the Women’s BBL.
After my one day, I’m looking forward to travelling to Brisbane for the women’s Big Bash, which I missed last year. The Brisbane Heat have been wonderful to me, too, Kerr added.
The Bangladesh series, our domestic T20 league in New Zealand, the (T20) World Cup, and then I return home make for a pretty busy schedule.
Dean dismissal debated
The run out of Dean by Sharma during India’s one-day international match against England was a contentious topic on the podcast since Kerr and her fellow countrywoman Mackay did not agree on anything.
“It’s in the laws of the game… a genuine dismissal and then you’ve got to balance up the choices if that’s something you want to do in terms of the spirit of the game,” Kerr said, adding that she wouldn’t personally do it.
Kerr continued, “Batters probably need to be more aware around them if it’s going to happen more.
In reaction to Kerr’s statement, Mackay, a fellow New Zealand cricketer, revealed that before being pulled up, she had had successfully ran out a non-striker while bowling many times throughout a season.
“Three kills in one season was enough for Canterbury Cricket, my association, to say “please cease and desist, we don’t want to see that anymore,” so I shelved it ever since, but heck it might be the only way I can get “Melie (Kerr) out, so it might have to come back on the table for this year now that it seems to be back in vogue!”
The balance between bat and ball is what cricket is all about, so if it’s going too far one way with batters getting such an edge by sprinting between the wickets and being able to grab a few extra yards, then absolutely I can understand definitely why it comes back in, said Mackay, who defended the run out.
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Listen to the latest episode of the 100% Cricket Podcast to hear more from Amelia Kerr on Test cricket, her love of photography and who she rates as the upcoming stars of the game.