Exploring The Great White Ferns Plateau Of 2023
White Ferns have changed their coaching crew, ushered in new players and they have been boosted by greater resources since the concerning 2022 World Cup in Aotearoa. That was meant to be a low point in which sprouts of frustration emerged from the cricketing community at how the previous regime was operating. Since then, White Ferns have maintained this plateau.
There are positive tones on offer here. It's good that White Ferns haven't got worse for example and the term plateau is deployed to highlight a status-quo. Add in nuggets like Amelia Kerr's rise as the best batter in Aotearoa and among the best in the world, along with a solid T20I unit and Molly Penfold finally snaring wickets. White Ferns have been holding steady thanks to these positive aspects yet they are all balanced by regular issues, led by a palpable lack of confidence.
The T20I series against South Africa continued this plateau. White Ferns lost the ODI series and this was their second ODI series defeat in a row. This was documented a few weeks ago and White Ferns have been in an ODI decline for five years featuring that World Cup in Aotearoa. Ben Sawyer's appointment as White Ferns coach has done nothing to change this and there is a case to be made that White Ferns are worse at ODI cricket under coach Sawyer.
White Ferns are better in T20I cricket and after three washed out games against South Africa, they finished with a win and a loss. A-Kerr dominated once again with two 50+ scores (134 runs @ 67avg/135sr) as the only White Ferns batter to score over 80 runs in their three batting innings. Sophie Devine chimed in with a knock of 61* as well - her first score over 50 in 10 T20I knocks this year. Maddy Green and Suzie Bates both had 40-odds with White Ferns scoring 150+ in one of their three batting innings.
Penfold finished as the best bowler with 3w @ 14avg/7rpo. White Ferns only bowled in the last two T20Is and after winning the toss, then opting to bowl first in both games, they snared 4w and 5w while conceding 150+ runs in both outings. White Ferns chose to bowl first and could only muster nine of a possible 20 wickets.
Devine, Eden Carson and Fran Jonas didn't take a wicket. All three conceded 7rpo or more. Seamers Jess Kerr (2w) and Hannah Rowe (1w) both conceded over 10rpo, while Lea Tahuhu took 2w @ 5rpo in her lone appearance.
At the core of the White Ferns plateau is a continuation of major themes in White Ferns cricket. After the ODI series defeat to South Africa, the debrief featured notes about the decline of White Ferns spinners under 'spin guru' Craig Howard. That is now updated with A-Kerr, Carson and Jonas combining for 1w in 17ov while all conceded 7rpo or more.
A-Kerr is the undisputed best batter in the team and this continues to come at the expense of her bowling. A-Kerr bowled the most overs for White Ferns in the ODIs and T20Is against South Africa, with 59.5avg in the ODIs followed by 58avg in the T20Is. The busiest White Ferns bowler isn't a potent wicket-taking threat right now, meanwhile Carson and Jonas are barely maintaining an international standard - where's Leigh Kasperek?
White Ferns still do weird selection things and it's bonkers how weird selection decisions have stretched across different regimes. Kasperek obviously isn't in the mix because she ... well she might be too good for White Ferns? Kate Anderson and Bella Armstrong made their debuts for White Ferns in the T20Is against South Africa, with Armstrong only playing in the first game which was washed away after White Ferns batted.
Anderson finished the T20I series with 55 runs @ 18.3avg/100sr. Not a huge return for most cricket folks but this is a decent effort by White Ferns standards. Anderson should be playing every game for White Ferns as she clearly has 1st 11 talent and with the ODI unit continuing to underwhelm, Anderson should already have a bunch of ODIs to her name. Armstrong isn't quite at Anderson's level but again, the White Ferns ODI unit isn't winning so why not give Armstrong room to grow in that team?
Who is the best White Ferns wicket-keeper? You might be.
White Ferns have used four different wicket-keepers over the past year. Fair play as Bernadine Bezuidenhout returned to Aotearoa from her homeland due to illness, but even her initial selection for the T20 World Cup was weird given White Ferns had selected Izzy Gaze and Jess McFadyen last summer. With both of those players in the mix, Green got a few games as the wicket-keeper and this was again on show in South Africa; Gaze played three ODIs and then the first T20I before being dropped for Green to take the gloves.
Sorting through these wicket-keepers offers positives and negatives for each option. None of these four options have been given an extended run in the same position. Stack this on top of consistent selection oddities that have plagued White Ferns over the past five years and the grand theme of the best female cricketers in Aotearoa not playing for White Ferns continues.
Unfortunately there is also a concerning dip in key pockets. Devine was the best T20 batter in the world not long ago and this has flipped in her recent mahi. Devine averaged over 30 in four consecutive years of T20I batting from 2017-20 with 50+ averages in 2019 and 2020. Devine is now in her third consecutive year of T20I batting averaging below 30. After having strike-rates over 130 in five consecutive years of T20Is, Devine has dipped below 130sr in her last four years.
Devine hasn't taken a T20I wicket this year. Devine took at least 1w in every year of T20I bowling (didn't bowl in 2013) since her debut in 2006, now she doesn't have a wicket and has endured her most expensive year of T20I bowling (7.63rpo). Devine's ODI mahi is better and yet the team is worse in that format, while Bates has endured two of her three worst ODI batting years in 2021 and 2023.
Bates was apparently cooking as part of the spinning kitchen led by the spin guru. After 3ov @ 6.6rpo in the ODIs vs South Africa, Bates wasn't used as a bowler in the T20Is despite White Ferns struggling for wickets. When White Ferns win in either format, it's usually because Devine or Bates leads the way alongside A-Kerr's consistent excellence. That doesn't happen often enough these days though and the role-players still struggle to step up when their leaders are out of form.
White Ferns have suffered a general decline as the world of women's cricket expands. That's a hefty issue given how women's cricket has grown within Aotearoa, but let's zone in on a pocket that was meant to deliver improvement. After their worst World Cup result since the tournament expanded to eight teams in 1993, coach Sawyer took over. White Ferns were barely competitive in losses to Australia then South Africa at the T20 World Cup earlier this year; they were rolled for 76 and 67.
That has been followed by two ODI series defeats this year with White Ferns losing in Sri Lanka and South Africa. Taking young players on tour can be beneficial and White Ferns need to grow their experience in foreign conditions, although White Ferns still ignore the best players and disrespect domestic cricket. Selecting younger players and opting for development is an excuse that shields everyone from results. This would be acceptable if White Ferns lacked the required playing base, yet all their needs to win cricket games can be found in Aotearoa ... not playing for White Ferns.
Domestic cricket in Aotearoa is fun. Hallyburton-Johnstone Shield cricket will soon appear and it will be followed by the Super Smash, allowing local communities to rally behind their wahine. Domestic cricket holds little relevance to White Ferns selection though. There is now a hefty correlation between underwhelming White Ferns and not giving the best domestic players a decent opportunity for Aotearoa. It's hard to win international games when the best wahine aren't playing and this is the same trend that has overseen the decline of White Ferns.
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Peace and love.