2023–24 NZ women's summer

[_Ed_]

Now 48-4 chasing 138

No substantial innings for Bates on her big day, sadly.

 

[The Hutt Rec]

All on Plimmer here, which is a bit unfair at her age. Would be great if she gets us home though!

 

[The Hutt Rec]

After all of Stevenson’s comments about how fast Plimmer is, she was always going to be run out lol.

I also liked earlier in the innings when he said NZ would be better if they celebrated their wickets much more like Pakistan do.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

I wonder if the team needs a cleanout.

 

[The Hutt Rec]

I don’t know if there’s many better options around, unfortunately.

 

[_Ed_]

With Devine missing this game through injury, the inevitable Kerr captaincy debut has come a little bit sooner than I was expecting. Hope she's ready for it.

 

[_Ed_]

Jeez, this has been an awful start in the field. The wind is a challenge, but still.

 

[_Ed_]

A wicket maiden from the captain helps!

EDIT: Followed by a sensational catch by Jonas. I'm feeling a bit better about things now.

 

[_Ed_]

Dropped catches aside, that was a much better performance today and a promising start for Kerr as captain. A shame it's a D/L win, but we were cruising in that chase.

 

[RMBolton]

At this rate I'll take the DLS win & be happy we weren't swept 3-0 like SA.

Roll on the ODIs.

 

[RMBolton]

Hallyburton Johnstone Review

• Who did Kasperek annoy at WFs HQ to get the cold shoulder treatment? Carson is decent, but I can't see what puts her so far ahead of Kasperek in the offspin pecking order. Carson has been better this season (10w @ 8.60, 3.00rpo vs 9w @ 16. 3.18rpo), but over the four previous seasons it's no contest (42w @ 15.69, 4.45rpo) - Kasperek blows EVERY OTHER NZ SPINNER out of the water, like she should be the first name on the WFs team sheet, total no-brainer. I've got the spreadsheet & everything; actually when you look at it, it becomes bewildering that Nensi Patel got a central contract, but never got a go
• Good on ND securing the win under lights. Nice to see Gurrey & Watkin back in the runs. Good to see Cullen get 3 wickets on debut

 

[The Hutt Rec]

The Nensi Patel thing was so weird.

I feel like the Blackcaps and the White Ferns have selection policies from the total opposite ends of the universe. Blackcaps you need to be over 35 to get a look in and won’t be dropped until the day you actually do drop. White Ferns if you’re over 25 you’re on the scrap heap (apart from two or three players who need to be kept to avoid losing every game by 200 runs plus).

Both policies are pretty terrible.

 

[ataraxia]

I feel like the Blackcaps and the White Ferns have selection policies from the total opposite ends of the universe. Blackcaps you need to be over 35 to get a look in and won’t be dropped until the day you actually do drop. White Ferns if you’re over 25 you’re on the scrap heap (apart from two or three players who need to be kept to avoid losing every game by 200 runs plus).

And of course for some godforsaken reason Hayley Jensen.

 

[_Ed_]

Jensen is a gun fielder tbf, but yeah, plenty of others who offer more with bat and ball.

Rowe seems to have nailed down the spot that was previously Jensen's. It's been good to see the progress she's made lately.

 

[The Hutt Rec]

I get the justification for the White Fern selectors, the jump from our domestic level of cricket to internationals is so large, it’s better to get those players exposed earlier. I don’t agree with it though … I think the answer is better funding for domestic cricketers to allow that level to improve and make it a viable career. More A tours. And I’d work hard on networking and giving players the chance to play in overseas leagues. The English stuff should be a priority, imagine if we could get 40 players over there each season, at various levels of course. That would be so good for development.

Again that comes back to players being fully professional and being able to go overseas for three months each year.

 

[RMBolton]

I get the justification for the White Fern selectors, the jump from our domestic level of cricket to internationals is so large, it’s better to get those players exposed earlier. I don’t agree with it though … I think the answer is better funding for domestic cricketers to allow that level to improve and make it a viable career. More A tours. And I’d work hard on networking and giving players the chance to play in overseas leagues. The English stuff should be a priority, imagine if we could get 40 players over there each season, at various levels of course. That would be so good for development.

Again that comes back to players being fully professional and being able to go overseas for three months each year.

I don't get it. Deliberately kneecapping the side with a "Young Guns" policy in the hope that it'll pay off later is stupid. The worst part about the recent run of losses is the fact that they were with a side we can't honestly call the best we can put up. The constant losses drum up so much bad press, it's ridiculous. The narrative around women's international cricket is one of improvement, of progress, yet the narrative in NZ is one of decay.

Hosting England A at the end of the season should be fun. There'll probably be a reciprocal A tour when the WFs go to England midyear. I think domestic professionalism is one of the top priorities on the domestic scene. It doesn't have to be on the scale of the English/Aus domestics - they're paid more than our men's domestics. Just getting to the level of our men, sort of "professional during the season" is a big thing.

I know in the recent off-season, Atkinson, Inglis & Armstrong went to Ireland & played there as overseas players (I think Armstrong was recommended by Arlene Kelly). In addition, there are also those who play county (I know the women's county setup ain't amazing professionalism-wise, but hey, it's cricket in the off-season). I remember at least one last season (can't remember the name), but the likes of Sullivan & both Penfolds have gone there in the recent past. Also, didn't Jonas go to the WCPL?

 

[ataraxia]

Going welll in the first ODI.

 

[_Ed_]

That's much more like it from Bezuidenhout, who's often seemed to get a start without really pushing on.

 

[_Ed_]

And Bates tonned up!

 

[ataraxia]

Heeeeere goes Devine