The attention of the casual New Zealand cricket fan may have been focused on the events in Dubai overnight, but across the weekend the White Ferns dispatched Sri Lanka twice in Nelson as their World Cup assignment in India looms ever closer.
As you read this, you'll likely know the outcome of the Champions Trophy final, in which New Zealand faced India in Dubai because the latter refused to play in Pakistan, the official host of the tournament. Much has been said about the fact India once more gamed the system in their favour. Simultaneously, not a lot has been said by the majority of cricket's administrators, dealmakers, national bodies, and most famous voices, purely because they know what side their bread is buttered on, and by whom.
While the cricketing world has accepted its uneasy reliance on India's stranglehold on the game's finances, and have once again scraped and bowed before the size of the BCCI's cheque book (what is it with men and size?), back in New Zealand a bilateral series between the White Ferns and Sri Lanka shaped as a quest to overcome a reliance of a different kind.
For Sri Lanka, the major question for head coach Rumesh Ratnayake was, and remains, how his team can get past the importance of Chamari Athapaththu. The Sri Lankan captain has been the star of the show for so long that, as much as such a claim can ever be made in cricket, the team has almost been incidental to her. When she shines, Sri Lanka has a chance. When she doesn't, the team still lacks the requisite supporting acts.
Bree Illing, New Zealand's up-and-coming left arm seamer got the better of the Athapaththu in the first two matches, while Jess Kerr claimed her scalp yesterday. Athapaththu came into the series ranked third in the batting rankings over the last world cup qualification cycle, while the next best, Hashita Samarawickrama sits at 36th. That is not so much a gap as a gulf. Ironically, Samarawickrama was the best on show for Sri Lanka with the bat, while the captain slumped to her worst average return in a bilateral series since 2016.
Sri Lanka's problem has for so long been an over-reliance on their super star, while New Zealand has made significant progress in shaking that from their own game, and that is the key finding from this investigation into the White Ferns' depth chart.
New Zealand went into this series shorn of the services of Amelia Kerr (WPL), Sophie Devine (personal break), Bella James, Rosemary Mair, Lea Tahuhu, Molly Penfold, and Hayley Jensen. Add to that the late withdrawal of Lauren Down, and you could have been forgiven for doubting the side’s ability to find adequate replacements. As it was, the series victory was a masterclass in stand and deliver contributions, and a significant marker of the maturing belief within the wider squad.
Maddy Green, named player of the series after Sunday's 98-run victory, was a lynch pin in game two, scoring a second ODI century and continuing her incredible form shown in the domestic HBJ competition. Georgia Plimmer, named player of the match after the third match, brought up her maiden ODI century after sharing a 100-run opening stand with Suzie Bates, who also notched up a 37th ODI half century.
Jess Kerr continued her fine season form, taking 3-22 on Sunday, bringing up 50 ODI wickets, while Fran Jonas, selected as a replacement for Hannah Rowe for the third and final game, took three wickets to regain confidence after a tough follow up season to world cup success.
This was a team that asked new players to stand up and take opportunities. The fact they did proved to any observer that, while this series counted for nought in terms of qualification or rankings points, it counted for plenty in the fact this team realised the folly of being in passenger mode while a handful of stars did the heavy lifting.
It also spoke volumes about the ability of New Zealand's management group to identify and nurture talent. Georgia Plimmer's maiden ton was the result of an enormous amount of work between her and Dean Brownlie, the White Ferns' assistant coach. Plimmer was picked for the team on upside and the commitment to her as a cricketer and an opening bat paid a hefty dividend in Nelson. Emma McLeod is the latest teen to make her New Zealand debut. Her maiden series may not have produced the runs, but her eagerness to learn, alloyed to her enthusiasm to be a part of the team, will pay off in the mid-term.
In the end it was a 2-nil series win. In the end it was a convincing and largely one-sided affair. However, beneath the statistics this series should stand as a reminder of how essential it is to keep up the investment in the women’s game, to keep fostering talent and to keep embracing competition. It is only by doing so that the White Ferns will continue to prove they have well and truly shaken their reliance on the few, and will believe in the collective might of the team.
If only collective might could also be used to shake a different kind of reliance for the sport as a whole.
SHARE ME