2022/23 HBJ Shield: Wellington vs Canterbury Final Preview
Wellington and Canterbury will play the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield final on Saturday in a repeat of the Super Smash final, also serving as a tremendous farewell to Amy Satterhwaite. Both teams could be boosted by returning White Ferns and this would be useful for Wellington as their Super Smash dynasty hasn’t translated to HBJ Shield dominance, not winning the HBJ Shield since at least 2009/10.
Canterbury did a Super Smash/HBJ Shield double in 2020/21 and they will be eager to send the legend Satterthwaite out with another double-whammy of wahine domestic cricket championships. Satterthwaite is Canterbury's best batter this season with 340 runs @ 85avg and she has been supported by Kate Anderson, who has 306 runs @ 43.71avg
Satterthwaite and Anderson were key figures in the Super Smash this summer with Canterbury needing them to fire once again in a final. Nat Cox (200 runs @ 28.57avg) is the only other Canterbury batter with a 50+ score, while Jodie Dean and Izzy Sharp are two youngsters to keep tabs on. 20-year-old Dean doesn't have a 50+ score but she is averaging 32.75 and has form from last weekend's action, while 18-year-old Sharp is joined by Lea Tahuhu as the only Canterbury batters scoring over 100sr.
If Tahuhu plays, she will be a fabulous addition to the Canterbury line up. Tahuhu can score runs down the order and she was Canterbury's most efficient bowler prior to her T20 World Cup departure with 12w @ 11.5avg/3.53rpo. Tahuhu took the most wickets for White Ferns at the T20 WC with Tahuhu taking 8w @ 11.87avg/6.33rpo for Aotearoa.
Gabby Sullivan has been the best seamer in domestic cricket all summer and her 17w @ 15.41avg/3.66rpo comes after a dominant Super Smash campaign. Canterbury will rely heavily on spin though with Satterthwaite and Anderson churning out spin mahi, alongside Sarah Asmussen who has 14w @ 19.42avg/4.68rpo.
Other Canterbury bowling options include seamers Missy Banks and Jess Simmons. Abigail Hotton is a young spinner and her first two games of domestic cricket were Super Smash finals, taking 3w @ 21avg/4.2rpo in her first two HBJ Shield games prior to this final.
Wellington have their own stable of spinners to call upon against Canterbury. Leigh Kasperek has been typically excellent with 16w @ 13.18avg/4.12rpo and Wellington's next best bower is 21-year-old Xara Jetly who has 11w @ 14.9avg/4rpo. Wellington's third best bowler is Nicole Baird and she is having a jolly time in her first summer of domestic cricket, impressing in the Super Smash while also taking 9w @ 24avg/4.11rpo in HBJ Shield.
Jess Kerr, Maddy Green and Georgia Plimmer could lace up. Kerr would be a strong addition to Wellington's 1st 11 as they lack a seaming leader, although Caitlin King (6w @ 12.83avg/3.81rpo) and 19-year-old Natasha Codyre (6w @ 25.83avg/5.25rpo) have been effective in their roles.
Chucking Green and Plimmer into Wellington's batting line up would obviously help Wellington but they have a strong group of batters already performing. Kasperek has scored the most runs with 250 runs @ 41.66avg, Jess McFadyen is a consistent performer in HBJ Shield and has 192 runs @ 38.4avg this season. Thamsyn Newton, Kate Chandler (16yrs!) and King also have 50+ scores while Rebecca Burns commands attention with her powerful strokes.
Burns has 230 runs @ 32.85avg and a strike-rate of 91 thanks to her boundary hitting. Burns has hit the most sixes of players in this final with four and she was one of the most destructive Super Smash batters with 121sr. Burns is averaging 30+ in both competitions this summer as well.
This final is full of funky wrinkles. These teams offer the best wahine cricketing systems in Aotearoa and their history in finals including the Super Smash final a few weeks ago reflects this. Satterthwaite's retirement looms over the contest for Canterbury and Wellington have a bunch of players who consistently do what the White Ferns want in dominating domestic cricket, but are steadily overlooked. Both teams also have elite young talent on display with players from the Under 19 T20 WC while also having domestic troopers who could chime in with key performances.
A Wellington vs Canterbury HBJ Shield final feels like the best way to wrap up the summer of women's cricket. The talent is top notch, the rivalry is brewing and Queenstown provides the perfect atmosphere for a celebration of wahine cricket in Aotearoa.
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