Aotearoa White Ferns wrapped up their Caribbean tour with ODI and T20I series wins, entering the summer having shown solid progress this year. White Ferns won the first two ODI games to seal that series and then lost the first T20I before winning the next four games. Chuck a dominant tour of the Caribbean on top of a Commonwealth Games bronze medal and White Ferns are building nicely ahead of the domestic season, as well as Women's Big Bash League.

Preview notes for this Caribbean tour revolved around role-playing batters and spinners. Both of these boxes were ticked and winning games without Suzie Bates or Sophie Devine dominance is an intriguing wrinkle. Bates scored a half-century in both series but didn't pass 20 runs in her other six innings, while Devine had a highest score of 25 over the whole tour.

Amelia Kerr continues to settle as a world-class batter. Kerr was second for White Ferns runs in the T20I series and first for ODI runs, which is part of a greater trend as Kerr is in her best year of T20I and ODI batting. Kerr is averaging 22.88 in T20Is and that's slightly better than last year, plus Kerr is averaging 59.27 in 15 innings of ODI batting this year. Kerr is currently fifth in the world for ODI runs and is one of six players who have scored over 600 runs.

As Kerr is brewing into one of the world's best batters, Maddy Green and Lauren Down chimed in with supporting runs. Green finished with the most runs for Aotearoa in the T20I series and she was the only kiwi to score 100+ runs, while Down joined Green, Kerr, Bates and Devine as the only players to score 50+ runs. Green and Down also feature alongside Kerr as the only kiwis to score 80+ runs in the ODI series.

This sets up a funky start to the kiwi summer as Green and Down will have opportunities to stack up runs after gathering confidence. Green will play WBBL, Down is likely to start in HBJ Shield with Auckland and their progress is crucial to White Ferns success. The same applies to Fran Jonas and Eden Carson who are establishing a potent spin-trio alongside Kerr.

Kerr's emergence as a world-class batter is fabulous, allowing Bates and Devine to ride with the flow of form. Kerr's bowling averages against West Indies were 27.75 (T20Is) and 67 (ODIs), both of which were higher than her batting averages in each format as the trend of her batting surpassing her bowling mahi deepens. Kerr bowled the most overs for Aotearoa on this tour and opposition batters are far more cautious in facing Kerr, providing opportunities for Jonas and Carson.

Jonas and Carson were the leading wicket-takers in the T20I series, tied second in the ODI series. Bates bowled a few overs on tour as well, highlighting the favourable spin conditions which led to less overs for Lea Tahuhu and Hannah Rowe. Here's a breakdown of how Jonas and Carson are tracking...

Eden Carson

List-A: 39w @ 28.58avg.

T20I: 48w @ 17.65avg.

ODI: 3w @ 10.33avg.

T20I: 8w @ 11.50avg.

Fran Jonas

List-A: 31w @ 27.09avg.

T20: 31w @ 23.7avg.

ODI: 5w @ 56.60avg.

T20I: 10w @ 14.20avg.

How these two young spinners perform in domestic cricket could shape future White Ferns mahi. With Bates, Devine and A-Kerr batting up the order, selecting three spinners is possible and might be a weapon for White Ferns to deploy more consistently. Seamers Jess Kerr and Hayley Jensen were solid on tour, perhaps emerging as Aotearoa's best seamers this year. Bates and Devine also offer bowling options.

Forget about what these players bowl, this is more about who the best bowlers are. Jonas and Carson may be better bowlers than many of the seamers in the wider White Ferns group.. White Ferns can still play three seamers thanks to the balance in their roster while also offering a unique bowling unit to trouble better teams.

That's fun to ponder now, although strong domestic mahi is required from Jonas and Carson upon their return to Aotearoa. Watching the best White Ferns in WBBL offers an exciting start to the summer and how the rest of the Ferns perform in domestic cricket after two tours away this year will be another funky pocket to enjoy.

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