White Ferns veteran issues blunt appraisal
White Ferns veteran Amy Satterthwaite doesn’t shirk about where the team is at 15 months from the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 on home soil.
‘‘If we’re honest we’re not where we need to be. I think it shows in our last 12 months of ODI cricket. We’ve probably been a team that’s gone a bit better in the T20 format.
‘‘We’re probably really fortunate that we’ve got this extra 12 months to sit down and look at what we’ve got to improve on.’’
The tournament’s revised schedule was announced on Tuesday with the event pushed back from 2021 to March-April 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
New Zealand’s recent ODI record makes for grim reading. The White Ferns have lost their last five series to Australia, South Africa, England, and India – dropping nine straight ODIs.
In October’s Rose Bowl series against Australia, the White Ferns were outclassed 3-0. Since beating Ireland in 2018, the White Ferns have won just two of their past 15 ODIs – a concerning statistic so close to the World Cup.
If the White Ferns are to perform strongly at the World Cup, their hopes will rest heavily on Satterthwaite, captain Sophie Devine, and fellow stalwarts Suzie Bates and Katey Martin. With the ball, legspinner Amelia Kerr is among the best in women’s cricket, while pace bowler Lea Tahuhu is a proven performer.
‘‘If we’re honest, our batting has been the area that has consistently let us down in the last wee while. The ability to build those big innings and those big partnerships is something we’ve got to continue to work on and ensure we get better at leading into this tournament,’’ Satterthwaite said.
During the Rose Bowl, the White Ferns were rolled for 93 in the final match and scored only 180 in the opener.
At the last women’s World Cup in 2017 in England, the White Ferns went into the tournament with plenty of expectation, but underperformed. They finished fifth in the group stage, losing their do-or-die final round match to India, where they were skittled for 79 – costing them a semifinal spot.
Satterthwaite acknowledged the senior players had to lead the way in 2022 in conditions they knew well.
‘‘We’ve gone into quite a few World Cups now with a lot of experience and people have highlighted that. If we’re honest as experienced players we haven’t performed the way we should have at a lot of those tournaments.
‘‘If we’re going to be successful we know for the most part the experienced players need to step up and produce big performances across the whole tournament.’’
Satterthwaite is set to play in her fourth 50-over World Cup, having previously competed in the
2009, 2013, and 2017 editions. She was part of the New Zealand team that made the final in 2009, losing to England by four wickets.
Playing in a pinnacle event at home would be a career highlight for the
34-year-old, who made her White Ferns debut in 2007.
The Black Caps captured the public’s imagination at the 2015 World Cup, which was cohosted by New Zealand and Australia. New Zealand won all six group games, then beat the West Indies in the quarterfinal and South Africa in a tense semifinal to advance to the decider.
Satterthwaite and the White Ferns would love to do something similar.
‘‘We can take a lot of heart out of the way the boys played back in
2015 and kind of grabbed a nation and took them on the journey.
‘‘To think we’ve got the opportunity to do that is really special and exciting.’’
The White Ferns triumphed the last time New Zealand hosted the women’s World Cup in 2000. Satterthwaite was at Lincoln’s Bert Sutcliffe Oval for the latter stages of New Zealand’s gripping four-run final win over Australia and said it motivated her with her cricket journey.
‘‘To think we now have the opportunity to inspire young boys and young girls in what’s going to be a fantastic World Cup, that’s something that doesn’t come around too often.’’
‘‘As experienced players we haven’t performed the way we should have.’’ Amy Sattherthwaite, left, with Sir Richard Hadlee and Lea Tahuhu