Less than a fortnight after her player-of-the-match performance in the final of the Women's T20 World Cup, Melie Kerr walked through the arrival gate at Auckland International Airport to little more than a hug and a coffee.
There was no cheers, no signs, no fanfare for one of our newest champions. Instead, she arrived home without the teammates she's gone through so much with in the past 12 months to face her next challenge.
"I would have loved to have travelled home with my teammates and been able to experience what's going to be for them when they're back home," Kerr told 1News.
"But I'd rather be in this position with the medal around my neck."
That "position" being her early trip home following a tear in her left quadricep, sustained in the White Ferns' first ODI against India after the World Cup.
While the injury is expected to sideline her for three weeks, Kerr is hoping she can bounce back quicker to join the Sydney Sixers with the new season of the Women's Big Bash League starting last week.
"I'm going to do everything I can to be back and I've been fortunate enough in my career not to have too many injuries but know that with discipline that hopefully I can get back quickly," she said.
'They inspired me to want to be a White Fern'
Speaking to Kerr before her next flight, she grinned recalling the past month and the well-documented fairytale run her side made - going from a 10-loss streak to world champions.
"I think, obviously our first game was huge against India," Kerr said of her favourite memories from the cup.
"We had a very strong pool, all teams in it, and kind of knew you can only probably lose one game in pool play and so to upset India and beat them convincingly, I thought gave us a lot of belief.
"And it was also the warm-up game, I think, before the actual [tournament] started, we bet South Africa comfortably, and that was just after a tough year, gave us some confidence that actually we are doing the right things, and when we play our best cricket, we can beat any team.
"So I think from that, we had belief that, you know, it's one game at a time and we can beat any team on our day, and that's what happened."
And while it was special for all involved, Kerr added seeing longtime teammates Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine finally earn a world title after years in the squad was equally important to her.
"I think that Sophie and Suzie are two of New Zealand's best, along with the likes of Debbie Hockley who also won a World Cup. So for two of our best to have that World Cup, I think it's so special and, you know, they've been role models for so many in New Zealand.
"For me, they inspired me to want to be a White Fern and to be out there winning a World Cup with them is pretty special."
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