No matter how weird the White Ferns ODI slump has been in recent years, moving into the T20I section of this series against England there was a slither of optimism that the shorter format would see the kiwis find a groove. That optimism didn't manifest into anything tangible though as Aotearoa lost all three games, twice dismissed for less than 100 runs and once again looking out-classed by the English.

Catch up on the White Ferns ODI antics:

Amy Satterthwaite and Amelia Kerr were the leading run-scorers for Aotearoa across the three games. No other kiwi scored 40+ runs in three games.

Amy Satterthwaite: 3inns, 76 runs @ 25.33avg/122.58sr.

Amelia Kerr: 3inns, 57 runs @ 19avg/98.27sr.

With the ball, seven bowlers took 4+ wickets in this series and Leigh Kasperek was the only kiwi.

Leigh Kasperek: 4w @ 18.50avg/6.16rpo.

After snaring 15 of a possible 30 wickets in the ODI series, Aotearoa then took 16 of the 30 wickets in the T20I series. England took 23 wickets in the ODI series and 29 wickets in the T20I series.

It seems as though the White Ferns woes escalated further and having dwelled in these woes for a couple years now, it's official: something stinks.

In that ODI series wrap up, I highlighted the poor record under coach Bob Carter and the abundance of males in the coaching staff. I've steadily highlighted a borderline incredible record of weird selections, plus the vibe of players struggling to perform in this White Ferns environment let alone improve and develop. These ideas have been present throughout these White Ferns yarns and no surprises that such themes were once again at work in the specific T20I bubble.

Sophine Devine is a fabulous cricketer, although there is a gap between what Devine does in T20I cricket and ODI cricket. As such, Devine's 37 runs @ 12.33avg/63.79sr in the ODI series vs England wasn't ideal but not the worst. In the T20I series though, this became 10 runs @ 3.33avg/55.55sr and that's really not good.

Amelia Kerr scored runs and that's lovely, even better if they come in a winning team. The fact that one of the best spinners in the world took 1w @ 75avg/6.25rpo in this T20I series though, that's an issue.

Hayley Jensen is a talented all-round cricketer, who opened in every game of this England tour. Jensen scored 53 in the first ODI, before knocks of 0 and 8, followed by 13, 12 and 0 in the T20I series. This is strange because Jensen isn't really an opening batswoman, meanwhile Maddy Green has plenty of T20 opening experience and the Canterbury duo of Kate Ebrahim and Frances Mackay both have opening experience.

Green was put in the middle order. Mackay was doing commentary instead of playing in the T20I series. Ebrahim only bats in the top order for Canterbury and then - like Mackay in the ODI series - Ebrahim was given a lower order sympathy type of position. Jensen isn't an opener and two experienced top-order players were batting in the lower order.

The two best Super Smash bowlers weren't even selected in this T20I series; Mackay and Holly Huddleston.

Green took a healthy 9w @ 17.88avg/6.85rpo in the Super Smash and didn't bowl an over in this series.

Devine, Satterthwaite and A-Kerr were the three best batters in the Super Smash. Natalie Dodd (also an opener), Ebrahim and Katie Perkins were next-best; Dodd and Perkins weren't selected while Ebrahim got shafted.

There's a young opener who has a T20 record of 30.84avg/108.90sr and has consistently been among the leading run-scorers in Super Smash and Hallyburton Johnstone Shield cricket named Caitlin Gurrey. She can't even get a look at squad selection, let alone game time.

It's rather difficult for a White Ferns team to win cricket games when the squad doesn't resemble the best female cricketers in Aotearoa. Selections don't make much sense, players are put in positions where they are set up to fail and thus players don't improve. This then bumps up all the pressure on the top-tier players who are trying their best - their job is not to carry an international team though.

There doesn't seem to be much accountability here either. I imagine the players are doing everything they can to improve and grind this out. There's only so much the players can do if the best players in that format are not selected and players are thrown into roles that don't suit them. So what are the coaches and selectors up to? Will anyone question what's happening?

The whole White Ferns vibe stinks.

Maybe Aotearoa is just a mediocre female cricketing nation.

A few years ago, Aotearoa was really good and competed among the big-three. Now they are steadily getting smoked by the big-three, while trading wins/losses with South Africa. Kiwi cricket fans are meant to generate buzz for a home World Cup while the White Ferns struggle?

I had to ponder this myself as lowering expectations and changing my perspective on the White Ferns could be a viable option here in covering them. It could be a viable option, although everything from the White Ferns and NZC suggests that this team is not in any type of rebuilding mode; they are hunting wins.

Again, team selections offer insight here. The White Ferns can't be considered mediocre when a bunch of Aotearoa's best female cricketers are not selected in their best formats. Of course, Suzie Bates is out injured and again, that offers a nugget of insight as Bates' legit superstar numbers drop off in the last two years (*whispers* since Bob Carter took over as coach).

Bates has 21 50+ scores in her T20 career, with one across 2019 and 2020. Bates has 10 centuries and 27 half-centuries in ODI cricket, with three 50+ scores across 2019 and 2020.

Is Bates the saviour? No.

In all of this, I've been trying to understand what is happening and relay that to the reader. Other than highlighting incredibly strange selections and a losing environment, I genuinely have no idea what the plan is or the direction of this team. Despite hosting a World Cup in Aotearoa, there is no nudge towards building a highly competitive ODI group.

White Ferns have performed strongly in the Women's Big Bash League and are in hot demand for WBBL action. None of that has translated to White Ferns T20I cricket and then, the best Super Smash players aren't selected, let alone put in advantageous positions for T20I stuff.

Stinky stink.