Another horror batting show by White Ferns
First, the good news. A very good England women’s cricket team is heading home, after owning the White Ferns in a 3-0 Twenty20 series clean sweep.
Now, the not-so-good. World T20 champions Australia are soon to cross the Tasman, spend 14 days in managed isolation then play captain Sophie Devine’s side in three T20 internationals on a double bill with the Bangladesh men.
On evidence of yesterday’s 32-run loss to England in Wellington, unless there’s a rapid, dramatic improvement the Australians will not even be pushed close.
Yes, they were without injured key players Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu but this White Ferns side remains a long way off the two women’s cricket powerhouses. And the gap wasn’t closed in this series. On a pitch hosting its sixth
T20 match in five days, a chase for 129 for a consolation victory in game three was tricky but certainly not beyond New Zealand.
They never threatened it, and were skittled for 96 off 18 overs after a 10th-wicket stand of 33 between Maddy Green and Rosemary Mair.
Player of the match Katherine Brunt (2-19) struck the biggest blow, removing Devine and Hayley Jensen in the first over to rock the home dressing room.
Devine’s wicket, again, was the key one and the skipper lasted just two deliveries before she was trapped in front, lbw.
The world’s top-ranked T20 allrounder who strung together six international half-centuries a year ago collected 37 runs in the one-day international series and in the T20s scored two, eight and nought in clearly the biggest worry for the White Ferns.