Returning To The Suzie Bates Status-Quo
Aotearoa has a habit of sleeping on greatness and Suzie Bates' excellence not only deserves attention, she is also playing a key leadership role in wahine cricket. Bates currently sits first for T20I runs and with Martin Guptill also perched with the most T20I runs for blokes, the fact that Aotearoa has the leading T20I run-scorers requires a moment of celebration.
While Guptill is in a shootout with Rohit Sharma (10 runs ahead of Sharma at the time of writing), Bates is cruising in a different realm to her challengers. Bates has 3,531 T20I runs and Australia's Meg Lanning is next best on 3,211 runs which makes the only wahine to ever score 3,500+ T20I runs. West Indie' Stafanie Taylor is the only other player with 20+ T20I scores over 50; Bates has 23 scores over 50, Taylor has 21.
Slide over to ODI cricket and Bates is fourth for runs, one of four women who have scored 5,000+ runs. Taylor is the only other female cricketer who sits top-five for runs in both formats (third for ODI runs). Bates has 12 ODI centuries and the only other player with 10+ centuries is Lanning who has 15 centuries.
Aotearoa won a Commonwealth Games medal thanks to the excellence of Sophie Devine and Bates. My Aotearoa bias leads me to view Devine as the best wahine T20 cricketer in the world and she churned out runs and wickets for the White Ferns in their medal campaign. Bates didn't dominate for Aotearoa but played a crucial knock against South Africa to start the tournament, whacking 91* (142.18sr) in win against another team hunting a medal.
After scores of 6 against England and 0 against Australia, Bates responded with 20 runs (200sr) in the medal fixture against England. White Ferns were only chasing 111 for victory and Bates quickly snatched the vibe to ensure victory. This flowed into England's 'The Hundred' competition where Bates has put up 102 runs in 3inns @ 137.83sr and all of this feels like a return to Bates' status-quo.
White Ferns woes featured a decline of Aotearoa's best wahine cricketers. As Aotearoa went from one of the best teams in the world to the World Cup slump, Aotearoa's best players appeared to lose their funk. This is nicely laid out when diving into Bates' career...
(T20I | ODI)
2016: 36avg/110.58sr | 52.66avg/82sr.
2017: 35avg/102.43sr | 48avg/79.7sr.
2018: 51.53avg/135.35sr | 73avg/102.9sr.
2019: 31avg/122.36sr | 24.50avg/70.33sr.
2020: 22.33avg/90.54sr | 39avg/70.27sr.
2021: 14.33avg/84.31sr | 11.40avg/54.28sr.
2022: 37.40avg/125.50sr | 40avg/93sr.
Bates averaged 30+ with strike-rates over 100 in four consecutive years of T20I cricket before dipping below those markers. Bates registered a 50+ score in seven consecutive years of T20I cricket before none in 2020-21. Bates averaged 40+ and had a century in four consecutive years of ODI cricket before dipping below that marker for three years between 2019-21.
Pandemic niggle and injuries were contributing factors. The fact that Bates' struggles aligned with more losses and other players suffering similar dips in production, during a time of captaincy and coaching changes is notable. Whatever the reason was for that phase, Bates is almost averaging 40 in both formats this year and seems primed to lead White Ferns culture with mana and runs.
The rise of Otago Sparks has been an enjoyable wrinkle of domestic cricket. Chucking one of the best batters ever back into the Sparks team provided an obvious boost and the similarities between Sparks and White Ferns offers intrigue for both teams moving forward. Bates and Katey Martin were in charge of a young, vibrant Sparks outfit and they led with cricketing mahi as much as setting the vibe.
Bates finished first for Super Smash runs with 504 runs @ 56av/115sr and while she couldn't manage Martin's epic nugget of not being dismissed in HBJ Shield, Bates grabbed 218 runs @ 43.6avg/96.46sr. White Ferns are currently rolling with a younger squad and as Aotearoa touring West Indies next month, Bates will be part of a teeny-weeny group who have previously played in the Caribbean.
For White Ferns to win lots of games in both formats, selecting reliable competitors is required and some of those players may command selection this summer. Skewing younger only amplifies the pressure on Bates and Devine which doesn't seem like the best option, although the mana of Bates and Devine is invigorating. At the very least Bates has returned to her world-class mahi, a return that sets up Bates' push for White Ferns success and her standing as one of the best wahine cricketers ever.
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