White Ferns outclassed
The gap between the White Ferns and the big three in women’s cricket continues to widen, after India swept them aside in game one of the one-day international series yesterday.
In some eerie similarities with 24 hours previous at Napier’s McLean Park, a very polished Indian side overhauled New Zealand’s sub-par 192 with ease, winning by nine wickets with a mammoth 17 overs to spare.
India’s young opening pair Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues were outstanding in plundering 190, the fourth-highest women’s ODI opening stand, picking the gaps and punishing the short ball of which there were too many from the home bowlers.
It was batting of the highest quality as Mandhana, 22, notched her fourth ODI century, 105 off 104 balls, andRodrigues, 18, backed her up with 81 not out.
The White Ferns were outplayed in all facets, notably in the field where India were much sharper. Clearly the hosts have a mountain to climb to win this three-match series which continues at Mount Maunganui on Tuesday and Hamilton next Friday.
For the White Ferns and new captain Amy Satterthwaite it continued a worrying recent trend where they’ve cantered past the middle-of-the-road sides at home but been no match for England, Australia and India, the latter two helping bounce them out of last year’s World Twenty20 before the semifinals.
It’s been over a decade since New Zealand – World Cup finalists in 2009 – beat any of the big-three in a bilateral women’s ODI series.
So much relies on Satterthwaite, Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine with the bat, and when that trio all departed relatively cheaply their targeted total of 250 was always a tall order after they were sent in.
Back from the Women’s Big Bash in Australia, the senior trio all departed poorly, too.
Devine (28 off 38) could have done better to hare through for a short single and was run out by a brilliant direct hit from Deepti Sharma.
Bates (36 off 54) employed the slog sweep to good effect but didn’t quite nail one and the towering figure of Jhulan Goswami got down for a sharp low grab.
After the opening stand of 61, it became strangulation by spin.
India’s three spinners, Sharma, Poonam Yadav and Ekta Bisht, took eight wickets between them, giving the ball plenty of air and taking all the pace off it, asking the New Zealanders to create something.
Some deliveries were clocked at barely above 50kmh, the speed limit outside on Latham St but pedestrian for any batter to worth with.
It worked as Satterthwaite (31 off 45) and the promoted No 5 Amelia Kerr (28 off 60) tried to thump it but found the fielders and couldn’t tick the strike over.
Satterthwaite hit some nice boundaries but then offered a soft catch, and Kerr holed out to long off.
New ball bowler Lea Tahuhu created some early half chances in a lively spell but it soon got away.
Kerr and fellow spinner Leigh Kasperek were on after the Indian openers had hit stride and there was no stopping them.