Cricket: Captain Amy Satterthwaite says gender-pay debate all adds to White Ferns' product

As New Zealand women's cricket captain, Amy Satterthwaite, and India skipper Mithali Raj posed for a photograph with male counterparts Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli in Napier today the gleaming bling detracted from a yawning gulf in pay parity between the genders.

"You see a little bit going on and a little bit mentioned," said Satterthwaite today before the White Ferns play the opening one-day international match against India at McLean Park, Napier, from 2pm on Thursday.

"Throughout we've talked about how it is being talked about more and more and that is only a good thing because it's been talked about in the media and, hopefully, engaging more and more people into our sport and the product we're producing as well."

Former Hawke's Bay international cricketer Peter McGlashan reignited the age-old gender debate as a TV commentator last weekend when he highlighted the plight of sister Sara McGlashan who is still eking out a living in the global T20 circuit after a stellar stint with the White Ferns.

Satterthwaite, who assumed the mantle of captaincy from Suzie Bates this summer, didn't think the matter pertaining to pay for the female internationals was a distraction.

The 32-year from Christchurch told the media scrum at the Rodney Green Events Centre it was opportune time to have the male counterparts around them to make the most of the shop-window display opportunity for the White Ferns, not just nationally and globally.

"We're seeing that over the last couple of years we're going from strength to strength around the globe and starting to do that in our own backyard and being able to showcase it."

She felt India had quality but welcomed the continuity the tourists would provide much-needed continuity in matches during the three GJ Gardner Homes ODI Series Trophy and just as many T20 matches before they jet off to Australia for three ODIs. The Black Caps are playing for the Netmeds ODI Series Trophy against India.

The Canterbury Magician said the White Ferns had some talented youngsters coming through to complement seasoned campaigners.

While New Zealand were picking up their development at different stages, when juxtaposed with other countries, she was pleased they were all heading in the right direction of women's cricket.

"We have to keep doing it and keep pushing it as much as we can in improving and growing as a nation in competing with the rest of the world."

Satterthwaite was happy with the mix of offspin and leg spin in the squad to offer the batters something to chase.

Raj said her side had arrived a week early to acclimatise to the conditions although the gusty westerlies had caught them on the hop yesterday.

The 36-year-old from Jodhpur played down any acquisitions or chinks in their armour coming into the Kiwi campaign but emphasised India were adept at rising to the occasion despite the variables.

"That's what international cricket is about and as athletes we're definitely looking forward to the series to get the focus back on the sport and the team."

Akin to their male compatriots, Raj said India women were becoming more accustomed to eking out victories offshore, as they had shown on the global stages in England and the West Indies.

India had come to play but while New Zealand conditions would test their resolve they had accumulated enough collective nous in the past five years to get the job done.

"We're looking forward to acclimatising to the conditions at the earliest but it doesn't pose that much of a threat when we take to the field," she said.

Raj said a formidable spin attack would form the nucleus of their bowling blueprint on the platform of having played on myriad tracks.

"It will be a challenge but that's where the experience comes in."

Fielding as a unit will be imperative for the Indians in matching their hosts but other batsmen will have to step up to match Raj's prowess of one ODI ton and 51 half centuries.

Bolshy batsman Harmanpreet Kaur, reportedly locked in a power struggle with Raj who was dropped in the T20 World Cup semifinal loss to hosts England in November, and Smriti Mandhana have come to the party.

However, Raj talked up Jemimah Rodrigues and Dayalan Hemlatha and game-changing spinner Deepti Sharma as having the credentials to boost their batting.

"The team doesn't look at me completely but yes I am an experienced batter so I do have the irresponsibility of getting the batting unit together to perform," said the top-order batsman who has carved up a test double century.

■ WHITE FERNS: Amy Satterthwaite (c, Canterbury), Suzie Bates (Otago), Bernadine Bezuidenhout (ND), Sophie Devine (Wellington), Katie Gurrey (ND), Hayley Jensen (Canterbury), Leigh Kasperek (Otago), Amelia Kerr (Wellington), Frankie MacKay (Canterbury), Katey Martin (Otago), Rosemary Mair (CD), Hannah Rowe (CD), Lea Tahuhu (Canterbury).

■ INDIA: Mithali Raj (c), Poonam Raut, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Tanya Bhatia (wk), Mona Meshram, Ekta Bist, Mansi Joshi, Dayalan Hemlatha, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey.