But the disappointment of the opening loss to Pakistan will fuel her when the team face Pakistan in their second T20 in Dunedin today.
Pakistan stunned the White Ferns in Dunedin on Sunday, easily chasing down the New Zealanders’ moderate total to win by seven wickets, their first T20 win against New Zealand in nine attempts.
Bates, who will return to the Otago Sparks for their Super Smash season, reviewed the footage with the rest of the team yesterday.
"I think sometimes you get a bit emotional directly after the game," Bates said.
"It was nice after a restless night’s sleep to talk about it factually."
She knew where they went wrong.
The White Ferns struggled to hit enough boundaries off Pakistan’s spin bowlers, particularly when they took the pace off, and the New Zealanders coughed up too many boundary balls in the field.
That was all addressed at training yesterday, Bates said.
"It’s just a shame. First game of the summer and for me, being at home.
"It was just an opportunity to start the summer well and we didn’t nail that so we’re determined to do that [today]."
There is added incentive for the White Ferns to get across the line.
The University Oval has been renamed the Suzie Bates Oval in honour of the Otago great, who recently became the second woman to have played 300 internationals.
She downplayed the occasion, but it made her reflect on her career.
"When you say 300 out loud, it sounds like a lot, but it doesn’t feel like that many.
"When I go out and play every game, I still get the same, I guess, pride and joy that I got in that first game."
There had been many highs — which she had learnt to celebrate more in the past few years — and plenty of lows thrown in, too.
The White Ferns and the Sparks meant the most to her.
She won several titles with the Sparks, won bronze at the Commonwealth Games with the White Ferns last year, and also lost in three World Cup finals.
"You want to be a world champion and we’ve never been able to do that in my career."
Through all her challenges, Bates was proud of her strength to fight for her career.
"Along the way, it’s perhaps when I’ve thought about when I was injured, whether I thought I still had it in me to compete at this level and . . . after those World Cups when I doubted if cricket was what I wanted to do.
"I seriously thought about basketball, and realised that this was what I loved and the opportunities that have been after that.
"It’s just the resilience I’ve shown to still be here through the highs, and lows, and still loving it and giving it everything I have."
Bates had the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh next year in her sights, but took time to evaluate following each series.
"After every pinnacle event at my age, you sit back, you check your body, how am I feeling, check your mind . . . and you ask how much you’ve got left.
"For me, the answer’s always been that I have [more] left in me.
"Until that answer’s no, that’s when I guess I’ll know."
But there was only one thing on her mind today — winning.
"That’s all I want.
"Suzie Bates Oval is great, but a better White Ferns performance is the most important thing."
