The White Ferns had a 2-0 ODI series win vs Sri Lanka and now prepare for three T20Is against the tourists starting on Friday. Keep in mind that the second T20I vs Sri Lanka will spark up an amazing period for New Zealand cricket as the double-banger series will begin with two T20Is vs Sri Lanka, then three T20Is vs Australia packaged alongside a Blackcaps vs Pakistan T20I series.

White Ferns put up scores of 245/7 and 280/6 against Sri Lanka, then they bowled Sri Lanka out for less than 200 runs twice (first game washed out). Maddy Green hit a century in the second game (100 runs @ 92sr) and Georgia Plimmer hit a century in the third game (112 runs @ 93sr), with Suzie Bates' knock of 53 runs @ 77sr in the third ODI the only other 50+ score for White Ferns.

There were nifty knocks down the order in both games that boosted the totals. In the second ODI, Jess Kerr hit 38 runs @ 86sr and Polly Inglis hit 34* @ 162sr. The third game featured scores of 36 runs @ 86sr for Brooke Halliday, 32 runs @ 133sr for Maddy Green and 24* @ 133sr for Izzy Gaze.

White Ferns ODI Stats vs Sri Lanka

Batting

Georgia Plimmer: 140 runs @ 70avg/80sr
Maddy Green: 132 runs @ 66avg/99sr
Izzy Gaze: 43 runs @ 43avg/84sr
Suzie Bates: 58 runs @ 29avg/70sr
Jess Kerr: 44 runs @ 22avg/94sr
Polly Inglis: 43 runs @ 165sr
Brooke Halliday: 42 runs @ 21avg/72sr
Emma McLeod: 10 runs @ 5avg/36sr

Bowling

Hannah Rowe: 4w @ 15.7avg/3.5rpo
Jess Kerr: 4w @ 16.5avg/2.4rpo
Eden Carson: 4w @ 23.2avg/3.7rpo
Bree Illin: 4w @ 29.2avg/4.1rpo
Fran Jonas: 3w @ 13.3avg/4rpo
Suzie Bates: 2w @ 21avg/3rpo
Maddy Green: 1w @ 5avg/5rpo
Brooke Halliday: 1w @ 60avg/5.4rpo

Kerr and Inglis also showed their value with brief knocks in the third ODI. Kerr hit 9 runs @ 200sr and Inglis finished the series with two not-outs, scoring 9* @ 180sr. White Ferns had seven batters score 40+ runs across the two games and while Inglis was the only batter over 100sr (165sr) in the series, White Ferns finished with three batters who had strike-rates over 90.

The spread of contributions was also evident with the ball. Hannah Rowe, Jess Kerr, Eden Carson and Bree Illing all took 4 wickets each with Illing (4.1rpo) the only bowler in this group who conceded more than 4rpo. Fran Jonas took 3w @ 4rpo in her one game and as White Ferns rotated Green, Bates and Halliday as their fifth bowler, all three of them took a wicket.

A funky alignment flows across White Ferns batting and bowling in these two ODI wins. Plimmer and Green scored most of the runs, along with Bates. There were important scores throughout the batting line up as well though and while three bowlers did most of the mahi with Illing (28ov), Kerr (26.4ov) and Carson (24.4ov) offering 20+ overs, they were well supported by the other bowlers as well as excellent fielding.

Rowe bowled 18 overs in her two games before Jonas stepped in to bowl her full 10ov in the third ODI. Green, Halliday and Bates were efficient in filling out the rest of the overs just like the middle/lower-order were efficient in adding runs to the totals. Another way of viewing this is that seven of the eight players who batted scored 40+ runs and every player who bowled took a wicket.

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18-year-old Emma McLeod was the only batter who didn't score 40+ runs as she finished with 10 runs @ 36sr. This was a tough introduction to international cricket for McLeod as a batter, but she will be better for the experience and White Ferns should roll with McLeod as she adapts to the higher level. McLeod was vibrant in the field and still found a way to impact these games, plus the other debutants in Illing and Inglis were fantastic.

All of which is especially intriguing because White Ferns have struggled for such a variety of contributions in recent years, plus they were almost missing a whole team of players who are usually selected. Sophie Devine, Amelia Kerr, Lea Tahuhu, Hayley Jensen, Molly Penfold, Bella James and Lauren Down were unavailable for selection, yet White Ferns won 2-0 and played some of their best ODI cricket of the past five years.

With what in theory was a stronger team, White Ferns went 9-12 through the Women's Championship and 4-9 in ODIs last year. Since the start of 2020, White Ferns are 20-34 in ODIs. There are lots of variables at work here and White Ferns aren't better without the players who missed this series but the performances in this series offered a fresh outlook on White Ferns cricket.

There was Plimmer coming back from injury, Bates leading the team like they are Otago Sparks, Green stepping up as a key leader, Carson moving into an all-format groove, J-Kerr and Rowe bouncing back from non-selection vs Australia, plus the emergence of Illing and Inglis. All of which helped White Ferns score runs, take wickets and field better than their opposition.

Something that can't be measured is the vibe of White Ferns. They looked like they were having fun and this was a fun series to watch. Unlike previous outings, White Ferns won with the whole team chipping in and while they best players led the way, there were important performances from new or young players that ensured a 2-0 series win.

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Peace and love.