Katie Perkins might be known more for her batting exploits for New Zealand, but despite the suspension of all cricket due to the coronavirus pandemic, she’s still serving her nation by patrolling the streets of Auckland as a full-time cop
“With not much cricket on at the moment, it was a pretty easy decision,” Perkins told 1 NEWS. “To wear the fern on the cricket field was always my dream, but to be able to put this uniform on and to go out there and serve the community as a whole means a lot to me.”
Perkins graduated as a police officer in 2013, further going on to work full time in 2018 after she lost her place in the New Zealand team following injury. The 31-year-old returned to the ODI fold in 2019, and re-entered the T20I squad earlier this year.
Did you know our very own @KT_Perky is police officer back home? 🚔
While at the @T20WorldCup she's been staying sharp both on and off the park… 🤔#withthewhiteferns #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/QBoY9OiKlT
— WHITE FERNS (@WHITE_FERNS) February 28, 2020
However, with the ongoing pandemic halting sports globally, Perkins has been on full-time patrol during the level four lockdown in her country, where there have been over 1,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases so far.
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With the experience of 70 ODIs and 52 T20Is since 2012, Perkins has had a fruitful cricketing career. Yet, her eyes are now set on next year’s women’s World Cup, set to be hosted by her country.
“Cricket is just a bit of a gift, and if I do get the opportunity to play at the World Cup next year? Awesome. If it doesn’t happen? Well, that’s life.”
