Double-headers and venues a hit with record-setter
As Sophie Devine blazed her way into the history books in the Super Smash, there was a reminder of how far the women’s game has come. Andrew Voerman reports.
THERE was a touching moment after Sophie Devine made history the other week, scoring the fastest century in women’s Twenty20 cricket, when she checked on a girl in the crowd who had been grazed by one of her nine sixes.
But it was also a moment that showed – in a roundabout way – how far the women’s game has come. As recently as the 2017-18 season, the women’s T20 competition was being played on grounds such as Devonport Domain in Auckland, Karori Park in Wellington, and St Paul’s Collegiate School in Hamilton, places where big crowds were rarely seen and spectators were not at risk.
Now, with the men’s and women’s Super Smashes packaged together as a series of double-headers, they’re playing on the major associations’ main grounds, such as the University of Otago Oval in Dunedin, where Devine went ballistic, and she believes the fixtures are all the better for it.
‘‘We’d be put on grounds that were out in the wop-wops and were not even club grounds, so the fact that we’re now playing on high-quality surfaces around the country is incredible for the game and it helps promote a really positive, attacking brand of cricket,’’ she says.
‘‘Playing on the same wickets men are playing on, it is a huge advantage for us, and the crowds have certainly increased and it comes back to visibility . . . we’re playing at grounds that are easily accessible and are being promoted within the regions.’’
Devine and the Wellington Blaze host the Otago Sparks – who might still be getting over her onslaught on their home turf 10 days ago – and the Canterbury Magicians today and tomorrow respectively at the Basin Reserve, arguably New
Zealand’s most iconic cricket ground.
Looking back at her matchwinning innings of 108 not out off 38 balls, where she brought up her century off 36 balls to beat the previous record by two, Devine said she had definitely been ‘‘in a bit of a zone’’, even though she’d only been released from her managed isolation hotel four days prior.
‘‘I was just really wanting to make sure that I was striking the ball well. I obviously hadn’t had too much cricket under my belt the last couple of weeks – I’d had a couple of hits with [White Ferns coach] Bob Carter down in Christchurch once I got released, just to try and get my eye in, so I was focusing on a couple of things that we spoke about, really basic things about hitting the ball late and staying in a nice balanced position.
‘‘That was all I was really focusing on and it was just one of those things, I guess, where everything seemed to come off. I just made sure I tried to play a smart game, if you can call it that, in terms of trying to read where the bowler was trying to bowl and where their field was set and trying to be one step ahead of them.’’
The record previously belonged to West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin, who made a century off 38 balls against South Africa in 2010, while faster efforts have been managed by just nine men, including recordholder Chris Gayle, who needed just 30 balls while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League in 2013.
Although it took almost 11 years for her to better Dottin’s mark, Devine said she was confident her record would be broken sooner rather than later, whether by her or by someone else.
‘‘The really exciting thing about the women’s game in particular is that these records seem to be getting broken more and more regularly, which is a great thing and I certainly hope that that record gets broken in the not-too-distant
future.
‘‘I think the way the female players are now playing the game, with more power, being more athletic, and being able to clear the boundary, I think it’s a really realistic goal that that record will be broken shortly.
‘‘It certainly hasn’t sunk in for me and it will probably be one of those things that when
I’ve finished playing – whenever that is – I will look back on and reflect on and be really proud of.
‘‘At the moment we’re still in the middle of the season and the middle of competition, so I’m just focused on the next game and how I can help the Blaze win.’’
With Devine back in their ranks, alongside fellow White Ferns Maddy Green, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr and Jess Kerr, the Blaze are favourites to take out the Super Smash for the fourth season in a row, though they won’t be able to finish with a perfect record, as they did last season.
Devine had only just started her 14-day stay in managed isolation after returning from Australia, where she starred for the Perth Scorchers in the Women’s Big Bash League, when the Blaze suffered a defeat for the first time in 16 matches, at the hands of the Northern Spirit.
‘‘I remember watching it and thinking the girls have got this under control, so I actually went outside for a walk, then I checked the scorecard 30 or 40 minutes later and realised it was actually a lot tighter than I thought it was going to be,’’ she said.
‘‘So I switched on Spark Sport and tuned in for the last couple of overs and saw the ND girls get over the line.
‘‘It was absolutely disappointing to lose a game, but I think it was going to happen. You’re never going to be able to play the way that you want to every single game and win every single match.
‘‘I actually think it was good for our group too, to get that feeling of what it is like to lose. We were probably in our own little bubble, a little bit, with the success we have had over the last couple of years, so I certainly think it brought us back down to earth.
‘‘I thought the Spirit played brilliantly and their youngsters really stood up for them – we obviously saw Nensi Patel playing a really handy knock to break the back of that chase.
‘‘It was disappointing to lose, but we also knew that it was going to teach us some really valuable things moving forward.’’
The Blaze haven’t lost since, winning three straight to cement a topthree spot, and are now looking to finish first and advance straight to the grand final on February 13.
‘I certainly hope that that record gets broken in the not-too-distant future.’ SOPHIE DEVINE