White Ferns seek Rose Bowl bloom
Snap out of it: NZ women bid to beat ODI losing streak
They have snapped one lengthy losing streak but now the White Ferns have a much tougher task on their hands as they take on Australia in the first ODI Rose Bowl this afternoon in Brisbane.
A five- wicket win in the final Twenty20 clash on Wednesday saw the White Ferns end their 13- match losing streak against Australia, clinching their first victory in any format against their transtasman rivals since February 2017.
They require two further victories to snap their most drastic losing run, with the Ferns having failed to win the one- day Rose Bowl since 1999.
But, while they transition into a new format, White Ferns captain Sophie Devine is hopeful their Twenty20 victory can inspire confidence in the camp ahead of the three ODIs.
“It’s nice to get over the line and show we can win against a really strong Australian side, and it gives us a lot of momentum heading into this Rose Bowl series, which is a big one for us,” said Devine.
“We’ve got a real sense of belief in this group and we know we can take games off the world champions whether it’s Australia or England or India, or any of these top teams.
“For us, it’s about building our self- belief. As soon as you start giving power to these opposition players, you lose a bit of your own power.”
The White Ferns have lost their last six ODIs — three against Australia and three against South Africa — but Devine says the side are more prepared for the Rose Bowl showdown.
“The last one- day series we played, we were poor, we weren’t ready for it . . . whereas I don’t think we’ve got any excuse this time. We’ve been training hard over winter.
“The girls have worked extremely hard . . . we’re all really excited, and any time you put a Rose Bowl on the line, then I think we’re going to be a real threat.”
Strike rates were an issue for the White Ferns in their Twenty20 series, with their only victory coming after being set a mere 124 to win, and even that required an Amelia Kerr cameo to seal the win in the final over.
However, Devine says the top order should benefit from having more time to build their innings in the longer format.
“Everything gets drawn out a bit more, so spending more time at the crease [ makes] those partnerships become so important for us, doesn’t matter what the format is, doesn’t matter whether it was bat or ball, partnerships are so crucial to winning games.
“For us, it’ll be occupying the crease for longer periods and really starting to put the Australians under pressure and making them have to change their plans.”
The opening Rose Bowl clash gets under way at 1.10pm today before clashes on Monday and Wednesday.