“They’re an extremely strong team at the moment, playing great cricket, and they’ll give us a real good test. With England to follow, we’re playing two world-class nations and it’s really good preparation for the World Cup.”
With last weekend’s Hallyburton Johnstone Shield (HBJ) final victory against Wellington Blaze fresh in the memory, the Northern Brave duo of Nensi Patel and Kayley Knight have joined the White Ferns squad in Hamilton, with both potentially making their White Ferns debut against the visitors.
“KK [Kayley Knight] and I came through the Northern Districts age groups together, so it’s really special for us to be called up to the White Ferns at the same time.
“We’re really happy how it’s come together,” says Patel, who made both the top 10 run scorers and wicket takers lists for this season’s HBJ.
Saturday’s victory at the Basin Reserve was not only a reward for the Brave’s consistent form this season (they finished top of the round-robin table by 10 points), but it was also their first win in the competition since they first joined back in 1999-2000.
“The HBJ campaign has been great for our girls this year. The way we backed that up again in the final summed up how well the team has performed.
“Everyone has contributed throughout the campaign, so it’s been a real team performance where everyone’s stood up at different stages of the games,” Patel says.
“It was a very special moment to pick the trophy up for the first time.”
Although she has a great chance to make her international debut over the course of these six matches, it’s not Patel’s first involvement with the White Ferns.
She was one of six new players to receive a White Ferns contract in the 2022-23 season, but although the others (Fran Jonas, Molly Penfold, Izzy Gaze, Eden Carson and Georgia Plimmer) have played varying amounts of games for the White Ferns since then, Patel wasn’t offered a contract in the seasons that followed.
“I went back to the drawing board, improving on the areas that I was probably lacking in back then. I worked hard to get more consistency with my bowling and my variations.
“On the international stage it’s key to have different types of delivery, so you can change things up and put more pressure on the batters. Tactics have also been a big work-on for me over the last few years and I’m slowly getting there.
“I’ve had conversations with Peter [Borren, Northern Brave head coach] and Jess [Watkin, Northern Brave captain] about how I can build pressure and attack batters to get us wickets and learnt off other players.”
With 290 runs and 14 wickets in the HBJ competition this season, the off spinning allrounder is pleased with the way things have gone for her personally.
“Towards the middle of the season, I found my form with the bat and that really kick-started the way I was scoring runs. Being really positive and always looking to score from ball one sets me up with the best chance to score and go big.
“With the ball, being consistent and using my variations was something that I really worked on over the winter. It’s come out pretty well and paid off at different stages.
“I think, when you keep it nice simple as a spinner, it gets the job done.”
Patel says it was Sawyer who gave her the good news, although she initially missed his call and had to ring him back.
“He congratulated me on my selection for this series and said he’s been pleased with the way I’ve been bowling. With Eden Carson out with injury, they’d like to see how I could do in that role.
“I guess Eden has been a big part of the spin group, so I’ve got some big shoes to fill. But I’m very much looking forward to the opportunity of representing my country on the big stage.”
If she makes her debut, the 23-year-old, who was born in Bharuch, Gujarat, India, will be the first White Fern to be born in India, having moved to New Zealand when she was 6-years-old.
After her family initially arrived in Auckland, a few months later they moved to Tauranga, and have been there ever since. As she played more and more, her dad and uncle gave up their own cricket so they could make sure she got to games on Saturdays and Sundays. Making her debut for NZ would not only be a reward for her, but also all those that have supported her along the way.
“I think it’s really cool that players that move here get a chance to represent New Zealand,” she says.
White Ferns squad v Zimbabwe
Izzy Gaze (Auckland Hearts), Maddy Green (Auckland Hearts), Brooke Halliday (Auckland Hearts), Bree Illing (Auckland Hearts), Polly Inglis (Sparks), Jess Kerr (Wellington Blaze), Amelia Kerr (Wellington Blaze) (captain), Kayley Knight* (Northern Brave) (T20I only), Emma McLeod (Central Hinds) (ODI only), Rosemary Mair (Central Hinds), Nensi Patel* (Northern Brave), Molly Penfold (Auckland Hearts), Georgia Plimmer (Wellington Blaze), Izzy Sharp** (Canterbury Magicians)
* Potential international debut
** Potential ODI debut
T20I schedule
Wednesday, February 25, Seddon Park, Hamilton (7.15pm)
Friday, February 27, Seddon Park, Hamilton (7.15pm)
Sunday, March 1, Seddon Park, Hamilton (1.15pm)
ODI schedule
Thursday, March 5, University of Otago Oval, Dunedin (11am)
Sunday, March 8, University of Otago Oval, Dunedin (11am)
Wednesday, March 11, University of Otago Oval, Dunedin (11am)
This story was originally published at Newsroom.co.nz and is republished with permission.
