White Ferns need to be bolder
The only thing the White Ferns can legitimately gripe about is umpiring. But even a string of decisions, ranging from the baffling to the downright bad, can’t hide the fact that the New Zealand women’s cricket team has been comprehensively outplayed again by their biggest rivals.
The visitors were out-batted, outbowled and out-fielded in their two Twenty20 internationals against Australia in Brisbane at the weekend, bringing doubts as to how they’ll manage to defeat the hosts in the remaining four games of their dual-format series.
Sunday’s eight-wicket loss was a limp effort, following a 17-run defeat on Saturday that began promisingly but ended with an all-too familiar tale of shortcomings.
Sunday’s hammering was the 13th consecutive loss to their transTasman rivals in all formats – NZ’s last win was in February 2017.
They are admittedly measuring themselves against the world’s best – but they’re coming up well short almost every time. For the White Ferns to prosper, a lot hangs on their star performers being at their best and therefore having a significant impact. In the opening two games, that hasn’t happened.
Suzie Bates top-scored in game one but 33 from 38 balls isn’t going to win you many Twenty20 games and she was painfully subdued when making 22 from 28 on Sunday.
Sophie Devine has made starts at the top of the order without pushing on while Lea Tahuhu and Amelia Kerr have three wickets at 34.67 (with an economy rate of 7.43 runs per over conceded).
The White Ferns have also been handicapped by a lack of quality spin options – there’s been six wickets taken by the hosts’ slower bowlers in the two games to date.
Kerr was greatly improved in her second outing but Australia’s blistering start meant she was unlikely to create much pressure as the hosts won with a whopping 20 balls to spare. Boundaries are also a necessity if the tourists are to bridge the gap. Australia registered 28 fours and fives sixes over the weekend while NZ managed 24 fours and a solitary six.
Amy Satterthwaite loomed as a possible game-changer on Saturday when she raced to 30 from 25 deliveries, striking the ball cleanly and taking the game to the hosts before she produced a poor shot option and became the victim of a drawn-out decision which surely should have given the batter the benefit of doubt.
But hers was a rare bold showing among a heap of hesitancy and it’s impossible not to wonder if the tourists are suffering in the psychological stakes too.
To knock over the best T20 side in the world, the White Ferns can’t rely on battling through to a middling score, nor aiming to restrict a team stacked with blazing bats.
They need to be bold tomorrow in the final game of the T20 section of the tour – to throw the favourites off their stride and take control at times, rather than hoping to just stay in the contest and grab a close one.
A little good fortune – or even some competence – from the umpires would aid their cause.