As Women's Super Smash takes a wee break, it's time to check in with how the White Ferns are tracking ahead of the T20 World Cup. Wellington's team is stacked with White Ferns and they lead the competition (5-0) closely followed by Canterbury who are 4-1. Otago (2-2) are the best of the remaining four teams and should crack the finals, while Auckland (2-3), Northern (1-3) and Central (0-5) all provide different doses of underwhelming cricket.

Central are led by Natalie Dodd who is third for runs with 184 runs @ 46avg/122.66sr and while she joins a bunch of domestic batters who have increased their strike-rates from last season, let's focus on the White Ferns. Hannah Rowe is Central's second best batter with knocks of 30 and 50 followed by two not-out innings. Rowe is also Central's second best bowler and this all-round mahi makes Rowe the best player of the bottom three teams.

Rowe always seems to find out-swing, which when packaged with her height and accuarcy can make her difficult to hit. Rowe scored 68 runs @ 97.14sr in two HBJ Shield games as well and her hitting down the order is a nifty boost to her selection case.

Northern could make a late push up the Super Smash ladder as they have a strong squad that is yet to perform. This group is likely to play throughout the tournament and with a bunch of experienced troopers leading impressive youngsters, they should find improvement. Brooke Halliday is yet to play though and unless she is already locked in as a T20WC squad member, other batters are making their case to take that place.

Auckland have lost their best bowler Fran Jonas to the Under 19 World Cup, along with Izzy Gaze. 16 bowlers have taken 5+ wickets and Jonas is the only bowler from Auckland, leaving a rather intriguing hole in Auckland's bowling unit. Holly Huddleston returned to Super Smash and took 4w @ 5.25rpo in her first game to help absorb the loss of Jonas. Lauren Down has scored 87 runs @ 21.75avg/102.35sr and sits behind Saach Shahri in Auckland’s best batters. Stack a T20I record of 13.28avg/86sr on that and Down is yet to seal T20WC selection.

Gaze managed 29 runs @ 9.66avg/96sr in her three games and in the mysterious world of White Ferns selections, a T20 record of 11.15avg/90sr can be good enough to earn a 1st 11 nod. The U19WC provides a funky thread throughout the White Ferns stuff and how Gaze performs, along with Jonas and Georgia Plimmer, will provide further insights. All three should be leading the kiwis for runs and wickets.

Wellington's wicket-keeper Jess McFadyen has scored 13 runs @ 6.5avg/130sr, which doesn't command selection but some context is required. McFadyen has faced just 10 deliveries in a strong Wellington batting line up and her strike-rate is crucial in this role. All of which leaves me to double-down on Maddy Green as the 1st 11 T20WC wicket-keeper with McFadyen in the squad.

Molly Penfold continues to flash her talent without doing what White Ferns should be doing at this level. Penfold has 3w @ 38avg/7rpo and went wicket-less in three consecutive games for Auckland, not taking a wicket in four of her past six games. Penfold now has a T20 record of 38.2avg/6.94rpo and her case for selection revolves around potential x-factor, although other players such as Rowe could offer the White Ferns more consistency and batting oomph.

Suzie Bates leads all batters with 218 runs @ 72.66avg/126.74sr and she has churned out 13 over with 4w @ 19.75avg/6rpo. Bates has four scores over 50 in her last 10 games and her return to bowling is notable considering her T20 bowling record of 23avg/6.52rpo. Alongside Bates in the Otago team are Eden Carson and Hayley Jensen, both of whom are likely to be in the T20WC squad.

Carson continues to thrive in T20 cricket, taking 5w @ 16.2avg/5rpo in Super Smash. Carson's T20 record of 17.25avg/6.2rpo drops down to 11.81avg/5.2rpo in T20I and she is shaping up as a low key T20WC weapon for Aotearoa.

Jensen took 7w @ 39.57avg/7.32rpo in WBBL and now has 3w @ 35avg/6.77rpo in Super Smash. That mahi is balanced out with 19w @ 11.89avg/5.55rpo in T20Is last year as Jensen was Aotearoa's best bowler and only kiwi to take 14+ wickets in 2022.

Amy Satterthwaite hit 49* in HBJ Shield and then served up 190 runs @ 95avg/121sr in the opening phase of Super Smash. Satterthwaite also has 7w @ 14.57avg/5.36rpo and yet she is out of this mixer, leaving Lea Tahuhu as the only Cantab hunting T20WC selection. Tahuhu has 5w @ 20.6avg/5.15rpo in Super Smash, after taking 10w @ 9.6avg/3.25rpo in HBJ Shield and she is still Aotearoa's best seamer.

Tahuhu also has batting strke-rates of 144.44 in Super Smash and 122.72 in HBJ Shield. Tahuhu has hit two sixes in HBJ Shield with no fours, while hitting five fours in Super Smash with no sixes.

As for the Wellington wahine...

• Amelia Kerr: 143 runs @ 37.75avg/116.26sr | 5w @ 22.4avg/5.89rpo

• Rebecca Burns: 119 runs @ 29.75avg//120.2sr

• Maddy Green: 92 runs@ 30.66avg/117.94sr

• Georgia Plimmer: 49 runs @ 16.33avg/113.95sr

• Jess Kerr: 23 runs @ 7.66avg/143.75sr | 72 @ 15.42avg/7.28rpo

• Jess McFadyen: 13 runs @ 6.5avg/130sr

• Sophie Devine: 10 runs @ 5avg/66.66asr | 5w @ 8.4avg/6rpo

The only weird thing here is Devine struggling for runs, which obviously won't last much longer. Plus, Devine has chewed up wickets to counter the lack of runs. A-Kerr and Green continue to be among Aotearoa's best batters after strong WBBL campaigns. Plimmer, Burns and McFadyen are playing their roles nicely with efficient run-scoring. J-Kerr has Wellington's highest batting strike-rate while also tied with Leigh Kasperek for the most Wellington wickets.

Speaking of Leigh Kasperek, she has taken 7w @ 10.57avg/5.28rpo and scored 50 runs @ 25avg/135.13sr. Along with Otago's Kate Ebrahim who has scored 174 runs @ 58avg/107sr and taken 8w @ 14.75avg/6.55rpo, as well as Satterthwaite (who retired but wants to dominate), these players are showing the rest of the domestic circuit how to demand selection.

Kasperek, Ebrahim and Satterthwaite are the best players in Super Smash who sit outside the White Ferns whare. All three could easily slide into a White Ferns squad and 1st 11 depending on team balance etc. Kasperek would bolster an already excellent spin unit for White Ferns and Ebrahim would add some competitive mana, which would come at the expense of a younger player; most of whom can lack confidence or vigour.

Maybe new coach Ben Sawyer could spin a yarn with Satterthwaite? At least coach Sawyer has a clear Super Smash vista where the best players rise above the rest like Aotearoa maunga. The issue has and will continue to be about selecting the best players or those who flash potential, which will set the baseline for T20WC expectations.

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