New Zealand captain Sophie Devine set for return after break

CHRISTCHURCH: New Zealand captain Sophie Devine is all set for her return to international cricket after she took a break from the game at the end of last season.

The White Ferns skipper highlighted how her fatigue reached a point where she did not feel able to do herself or her team justice.

"Looking back, and hindsight is a wonderful thing, it had probably been bubbling away for a little while," ESPNcricinfo quoted Devine as saying. "For me I just knew I couldn't do a job. It's the same thing as if I broke a leg or pulled my hamstring -- if I can't complete the job to 100 per cent then I need to take a serious look if I'm worthy of being in that team. And at that stage, I couldn't live up to my role, what I expect of myself, as well as what my teammates expect of me."

Sophie stepped away after the first T20I against Australia in late March and since then has missed the national team's last five matches of the home summer. She has now rejoined the squad at their winter training camp in Lincoln this week.

"I had my own little bubble for probably two months and spent that time going back to simple things, spending time away from cricket first and foremost and spending it with loved ones which was really important. I needed to get back to what makes me feel good. I had fantastic support which made it easier for me, wasn't having to worry about expectations. I really did switch off from everyone and everything which I needed to do at that time," Sophie added.

Devine also did not forget to acknowledge the challenges presented by COVID-19 on players and her own personal decision.

"Covid has certainly thrown a spanner in the works and spending time in numerous different bubbles and quarantine, it's a bizarre environment," she said. "Think it was a combination of a lot of different things." "Hopefully it doesn't happen again, but it might and hopefully I'm in a better position to deal with it if those things do come up. And I can share my stories with others to know it's okay to be able to step away. It's not just athletes, it's everyone. We need to create that space for people to be able to talk about mental health."