Devine ‘one shot away’

Sophie Devine expects the bouncers to continue from England’s bowlers, but insists she is one shot away from breaking out of her mini slump in the first Twenty20 cricket international in Wellington.

Devine leads the White Ferns onto Sky Stadium at 3pm today for a double-header that was projected to draw 20,000-plus fans but will now be played to the glare of yellow seats.

A year ago, New Zealand’s captain set a world record across men’s and women’s T20 internationals: six consecutive halfcenturies against India, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Since then, Devine’s top score was 31 from six T20 international innings, the most recent four knocks against world champions Australia.

After posting phenomenal numbers in the T20 Super Smash for eventual beaten finalists Wellington Blaze (434 runs, average 62, strike rate 165), Devine managed 16, six and 15 in the 2-1

ODI series loss to England as the visiting seamers dug the ball in and tried to unsettle New Zealand’s run machine.

Devine, the world’s top-ranked women’s T20 allrounder, expects more of the same in the shortest format. ‘‘Absolutely, it wouldn’t be international cricket if teams weren’t going hard at you. I’m disappointed with my return with the bat the last two games but I also know cricket can be a pretty cruel game sometimes.

‘‘I’m feeling good in the nets and hitting the ball well, and it’s about sticking to my processes

Sophie Devine, left

and trusting it will come right.’’

Thanks to Amy Satterthwaite and Amelia Kerr, the White Ferns flew to Wellington in buoyant mood after ending their 11-match ODI losing streak with a sevenwicket victory over England in Dunedin.

In women’s T20 internationals against England it has been a similar struggle. From 14 matches across the past decade, the White Ferns have won just once, in Whangarei in 2015.

‘‘There’s probably a number of things; professionalism, structure and the domestic cricket that they’ve got over there [in England] but I think we’re making great strides,’’ Devine said.

‘‘We’ve got the talent to beat these guys and we almost favour ourselves in the T20 format. We’ve played a lot of T20 domestically lately so we’ll back ourselves.’’

Northern Districts allrounder Brooke Halliday, after an impressive ODI debut, was summoned to the T20 squad for the injured Lea Tahuhu, and Canterbury’s Gabby Sullivan remains as injury cover for seamer Hannah Rowe.

England have the world’s topranked women’s T20 bowler, leftarm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, and the second-ranked allrounder Nat Sciver, who with speedster Katherine Brunt tore through New Zealand’s top order in game two.

At Sky Stadium the White Ferns have won two from three T20s, beating Australia in 2010 and India in 2019 and losing to England in 2012.

At Sky Stadium the White Ferns have won two from three T20s, beating Australia in 2010 and India in 2019 and losing to England in 2012.

‘‘I’m feeling good in the nets and hitting the ball well, and it’s about sticking to my processes.’’