While confusion and a lack of expectation given the shambles of Blackcaps selection decisions, we are graced with balance via our White Ferns. Aotearoa's women's cricket team has been a steady point of cricketing joy and under coach Haidee Tiffin, they have not only established themselves as a low key force in international cricket, there's also been a nice merging of superstars and youngsters in the past 12 months.

Tiffin has named her squad for the Women's World Cup that gets underway on June 24 and we should have a few fixtures before the World Cup in June to sink our teeth into. Having followed the White Ferns closely over the past year or two, this squad largely picks itself even though we've got plenty of depth in women's cricket.

The squad will be led by Suzie Bates and along with Amy Satterthwaite, they will form a dynamic duo that opposition teams will fear. Bates will open the batting and offer a fourth/fifth seamer option, while Satterthwaite will bat No.3/4 and look for Satterthwaite to chime in with a few overs of off-spin most games. These two are hugely influential with their bats and their run-scoring will be crucial for the Ferns, while the balance they offer with the ball will allow coach Tiffin plenty of options with the bowlers and further down the batting line up.

Bates and Satterthwaite will have games where they take wickets or restrict the opposition's flow of runs, but their key job will be scoring the bulk of the Ferns' runs. Sophie Devine on the other hand is a pure all-rounder and her powerful hitting will most likely see her bat No.5 and expect to see her used as the third seamer. Devine is the most destructive batswoman in Aotearoa and more often than not, she'll enjoy the fruits of Bates/Satterthwaite's labour as she will come to the crease with a foundation laid down, able to up the ante.

Wicket-keeper/opening-bat Rachel Priest is also a certainty to start, as is Lea Tahuhu. Tahuhu will take the new-ball and while these two aren't quite on the same level as Bates and Satterthwaite, their experience will enable them to pick up any slack if Bates or Satterthwaite can't fire. This is what makes Priest and Tahuhu low key crucial for the White Ferns as they might not enjoy the same level of spotlight, but the team won't enjoy success without solid performances from these two.

Expect to see Holly Huddleston partner Tahuhu with the new-ball and her development in the past year has seen her graduate from the fringes to a near-certain selection.

Bates and Priest will open the batting, with Satterthwaite and Devine also likely to feature in the top-five. That will leave a batting spot up for grabs and either Katey Martin or Katie Perkins will round off the batting line up, or the possibility of the Ferns middle order featuring Devine, Martin and Perkins is just as likely.

The headlines will centre a lot around the selection of youngster Amelia Kerr and the novelty of her selection doesn't automatically mean that she'll feature in the strongest White Ferns team. Kerr is behind off-spinner Leigh Kasperek and fellow leggy Erin Bermingham, with Bermingham a capable batswoman who could fill the No.7 spot, plus off-spinner Anna Peterson has also been selected and she's also capable of batting No.6/7.

Kasperek is simply one of the best spinners in the world and Bermingham's experience should have her sitting ahead of Kerr. Kerr could get a game against a weaker opponent, however her selection needs context as this White Ferns team is very good and with Kasperek, Bermingham and Satterthwaite all top-class international spinners, Kerr will be offering depth - as you'd expect. Kerr did feature in the Rose Bowl, but Kasperek was out injured.

Other depth players selected are Maddy Green (middle order bat/off-spin), Thamsyn Newton (seamer) and Hannah Rowe (seamer). From the squad that took on Australia earlier this year, Sam Curtis and Liz Perry are absent in this squad.

My strongest White Ferns team would look like this:

Bates, Priest (wk), Satterthwaite, Martin, Perkins, Devine, Peterson, Bermingham, Kasperek, Tahuhu, Huddleston.

Enjoy our work? Hit an ad and donate to the cause, it costs your nothing but a jiffy of your time.