Positive finish, but same issues remain
The White Ferns’ best performance in some time won’t mask another disappointing home summer.
Led by a superb unbeaten century from captain Sophie Devine (her eighth ODI ton), New Zealand finished with an exclamation mark, beating England by seven wickets in yesterday’s final ODI in Hamilton.
It was some return from Devine, who missed the first two ODIs and final T20 with a quad strain.
While it was an impressive way to finish the New Zealand home summer, it was a case of too little, too late, for the White Ferns.
England had taken an unassailable 2-0 lead into yesterday’s match, having also prevailed in the T20 series, winning 4-1.
The White Ferns finished the summer with just one white ball series triumph from four (against Pakistan and England) – a poor return.
A major question mark hanging over the side heading into the summer of cricket was where the runs were going to come from outside the big three of Devine, Melie Kerr, and Suzie Bates.
There were handy contributions at times from the likes of Maddy Green, Izzy Gaze, Brooke Halliday, and Bernadine Bezuidenhout (in the first ODI against Pakistan), but they were inconsistent.
Opposition sides know if they can remove Devine, Bates, and Kerr cheaply they are well on the road to knocking over the White Ferns.
Bates, who is 36, and Devine, 34, are in the twilight years of their glittering international careers. When they eventually retire, the White Ferns legends will leave a massive hole, both with their experience and on-field contributions.
Green stepped up with the bat, standing out against Pakistan especially. She chipped in with an unbeaten 38 yesterday after two failures earlier in the ODI series.
With the ball, Jess Kerr was effective against England’s vaunted top order, finishing with a team-best seven wickets at 19.57 in the ODIs. Kerr (3-39) and fellow seamer Hannah Rowe (3-42 from 10) both set the tone in the third ODI and were disciplined with their line and length.
The White Ferns will look back on a summer that promised plenty, but ultimately fell flat.
It all started with a surprise 2-1 T20 series defeat to Pakistan, who triumphed in the opening two matches in Dunedin.
The White Ferns took out the ODI series 2-1, but were made to work hard for it. They lost the third match in a Super Over following a tie and almost butchered their run chase in the second match.
The showpiece series of the White Ferns’ summer was dominated by England. Even without the late arriving Nat Sciver-Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Danni Wyatt, and Alice Capsey (who were only available from the fourth T20), England were too classy.
The White Ferns’ inability to seize control in the important moments continues to be a problem.
Throughout the T20s and ODIs, New Zealand had their opportunities to win, but let England back into the contest.
Look no further than the opening ODI in Wellington when they had England on the ropes at 79-6 in the 17th over chasing 208.
England wicketkeeper Amy Jones took the match away from the hosts with an excellent unbeaten 92. Jones teamed up for a match-altering 130-run unbroken seventh wicket stand with Charlie Dean, who struck 42 not out. It was a similar story in the second ODI with England in trouble again at 190-8, having earlier been 107-1. Player of the series Jones delivered again, getting England to a competitive 252.
New Zealand could only manage 196 in reply with their hopes of winning disappearing when Gaze and Halliday went within the space of nine balls after combining for a 100run partnership. Throughout the Pakistan and England series, there were too many costly dropped catches and non-negotiables (sloppy wides and no balls).
The White Ferns have another shot at England in their conditions in June-July, where they will square off in three ODIs and five T20s. That looms as a critical tour as they build towards the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September-October.
On their day, the White Ferns can compete with the very best – Australia, England, India, and South Africa. Those performances have been the exception rather than the norm – something the team must continue to change under Australian coach Ben Sawyer.
Putting back-to-back strong performances against the elite sides remains a major workon. One memorable showing in three or four games won’t get it done internationally. Just how much the White Ferns have developed as a group and learned from a tough home summer will be seen at the T20 World Cup.