White Ferns 2024 T20 World Cup Preview
The biggest issue in New Zealand cricket isn't the Blackcaps contract 'crisis', it is an under-performing White Ferns team who must now flip their trajectory around for the T20 World Cup. The chances of that happening are slim though as the White Ferns have lost seven T20Is in a row and unfortunately, that is an understandable losing streak as all seven losses were against a high quality England team while New Zealand are low in confidence.
White Ferns were once competitive against England and the recent tour of England in which White Ferns were swept aside 0-8 (ODIs/T20Is) sums up the demise of the Aotearoa women's cricket team. A T20I series defeat to Pakistan in New Zealand last summer was more concerning though and since December 1st 2023, White Ferns are 2-11 in T20Is.
All of which is part of a bigger White Ferns slide that has consistently been swept under the rug. The honour of co-hosting the 2022 ODI World Cup saw White Ferns offer their worst ODI World Cup result in finishing sixth. This was the second ODI World Cup in a row where New Zealand didn't make the semi-final stage, after finishing fourth or better in 10 consecutive ODI World Cups.
This is about the T20 World Cup though. White Ferns finished third or higher in the first three tournaments before finishing fifth in 2014, then third in 2016. White Ferns have missed the semi-finals in the last three T20 World Cups, which when combined with their horrible T20 form under coach Ben Sawyer, means that folks should keep a lid on their expectations for this upcoming tournament.
There isn't much mana in the White Ferns right now and lots of losses, along with plenty of individual woes means that angles for the press releases are limited. The announcement of the T20 World Cup squad was led by notes about Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates playing their ninth T20 World Cups, as well as Izzy Gaze being the only White Fern squad member who hasn't played in a T20 World Cup.
Devine and Bates have played every T20 World Cup and that deserves to be celebrated. They have also overseen a flip in White Ferns T20 World Cup performances as Aotearoa went from a sneaky dominant force in women's cricket to being a relative minnow. The fact that the majority of this squad has T20 World Cup experience isn't necessarily positive as these players have featured in a cluster of mediocre performances and results.
White Ferns do have a new selector in Sarah Tsukigawa and she knows a bit about Aotearoa's illustrious record in women's cricket as she played in the 2009 ODI World Cup team who lost to England in the final. This fresh perspective on White Ferns selection came too late in the lead up to the T20 World Cup for Tsukigawa to have any major influence though and the White Ferns squad features the same players used during this niggly phase under coach Sawyer.
The same coach Sawyer who is stacking up losing mahi in the T20 circuit over the past four years. Coach Sawyer went 2-13 in 2023 with Royal Challengers Bangalore (WPL) and Birmingham Phoenix (The Hundred). Thankfully Birmingham Phoenix improved from finishing last in 2023 to finish second to last this year, although much of coach Sawyer's losing antics have come alongside Devine.
For anyone wondering, here is how Devine has performed in her last two campaigns of The Hundred...
2023: 191 runs @ 27.2avg/132.6sr | 1w @ 119avg/9.6rpo
2024: 117 runs @ 19.5avg/101sr | 13ov @ 8.8rpo
Devine didn't take a wicket in The Hundred this year, after not taking a wicket in eight games of the White Ferns England tour. Devine has played seven consecutive ODIs without a wicket and six consecutive T20s without a wicket, meanwhile she is in her fifth consecutive year of T20I batting with a strike-rate below 130. That's notable considering Devine had five consecutive years of T20I batting with strike-rates over 130, three of which were over 140sr.
Devine, Bates and Amelia Kerr aren't good enough right now to carry White Ferns to wins in a highly competitive women's cricket landscape. A-Kerr has a highest score of 44* since December 1st 2023 and all three of these leaders have batting strike-rates below 120 in this period. A-Kerr is the leading wicket-taker for White Ferns in this period, although this year is her most expensive year of T20 bowling (8.3rpo) and her first year over 7.20rpo.
Bates was celebrated as a new spin bowler last year and she didn't bowl a delivery in either format of the England tour. Add in T20I wrinkles like Jess Kerr rolling out 2w @ 125avg/7.3rpo in 34.2 overs since 1st December 2023 and major holes in the batting line up where Gaze, Maddy Green and Georgia Plimmer are all averaging 16 or less for an unfortunate White Ferns vista.
The batting holes are fascinating because of how other viable options have been treated. Bernadine Bezuidenhout was rushed back into the White Ferns set up before retiring within a year of her return. Kate Anderson was celebrated for getting a White Ferns contract and after four T20Is in 2023 she vanished from the White Ferns mix. Mikaela Greig was the latest player to be celebrated after getting a White Ferns contract and she played one T20I earlier this year, then she didn't play a single game of the 0-8 tour sweep in England.
Anderson and Greig have barely had genuine opportunities, meanwhile Green has a T20I batting record of 80 runs @ 10avg/78sr this year and Plimmer has batted 21 times in T20Is with 173 runs @ 10.1avg/85sr. Gaze has batted 14 times in T20Is with 159 runs @ 13.2avg/102sr and she is the only wicket-keeper in this T20 World Cup squad, which will probably lead to sloppy mahi behind the stumps once again.
Gaze is one of three White Ferns batters to hit a 50+ score in T20Is since December 1st 2023 and it was unusually swift with 51* @ 182sr. Since that knock, Gaze has four scores under 10 in five T20I innings, while averaging 10 in the T20I portion of the England tour and 5.3 in the ODIs.
The strength of White Ferns cricket is spin bowling with the T20 World Cup squad features a spin unit of A-Kerr, Fran Jonas, Eden Carson and Leigh Kasperek. A-Kerr, Jonas and Carson should be in the T20 World Cup 1st 11 but the desire for more seam bowling options often means that Carson misses out. Kasperek is once again selected in a White Ferns squad but coach Sawyer seems reluctant to give her a steady opportunity as her two T20I games in England (of five) are her only appearances since December 1st 2023.
Lea Tahuhu is the only seamer who has offered decent mahi in lots of T20I overs since the start of last summer, while Devine and J-Kerr have struggled to impact games with the ball. Four White Ferns bowlers are conceding more than 8rpo in T20Is during this phase and they are all seamers; Hannah Rowe (9.4rpo) and Tahuhu (9.1rpo) the most expensive followed by Brooke Halliday (9rpo) and Devine (8.8rpo).
Mair earned a return to the White Ferns mix with strong mahi last summer, although her five games of T20I cricket this year forms her worst year of T20I bowling. Mair averaged below 27 in her first four years of T20I bowling before taking 4w @ 37.5avg/7.56rpo this year.
The best seamer for White Ferns in T20Is has been Molly Penfold and yet she has only played three (of 13) games since December 1st 2023. Penfold has 2w @ 21.5avg/7.1rpo in 6 overs which mainly stems from her mahi in Aotearoa last summer as she took 1w @ 92avg/5.7rpo through the ODIs in England, then she was graced with a single over of the T20Is in England.
New Zealand is in group A for the T20 World Cup and they will play against India, Australia, Sri Lanka then Pakistan. In the last three T20 World Cups in which White Ferns have gone 2-2 to miss the semi-finals, they have lost every game against India and Australia. They do have a 2018 win over Pakistan and two wins over Sri Lanka, however Pakistan had a T20I series win in Aotearoa last summer and Sri Lanka could upset the kiwis if Chamari Athapaththu is in a destructive mood.
Athapaththu offers intriguing context around the various White Ferns stats as she is averaging 48.2 with a strike-rate of 134 in T20Is this year. This is her second year in a row of T20I batting with averages over 30 and strike-rates over 130, a mark she has passed in three of the last four years. Tahuhu is the only White Ferns batter with a strike-rate over 130 since December 1st 2023 and her average of 63 (four not-outs in five innings) makes her the only White Fern batter averaging over 30 (make that 28) in this period.
Nothing about the White Ferns journey over the past five years suggests that a miracle will boost their T20 World Cup campaign, but that's all we can hope for. Whether it's your favourite god, Papatuanuku and Ranginui or the Jah who blesses your herbal essence, ask them to guide the White Ferns through this T20 World Cup.
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