Realistically, that’s the simple equation for the White Ferns if they’re to reach the semifinals of the Cricket World Cup.
Sophie Devine’s side saw their second consecutive match rained off in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo overnight on Saturday, withjust 25 of a potential 100 overs possible against Pakistan, who reached 92-5 after being put in to bat by the New Zealand captain.
It meant frustration on top of frustration for the White Ferns, with their match against Sri Lanka last Tuesday also abandoned after the joint hosts reached 258-6 off their 50 overs.
“You wait four years for a World Cup and to have rain play such a massive part in it is disappointing,” said Devine after the Pakistan game.
“I hope that in future editions they think about playing the games earlier in the day. We’ve obviously seen here [in Colombo] that the rain usually comes in the afternoon, so there’s opportunity to potentially play these games at 10-11am in the morning and try and get a game in, because that’s what all these teams want, to be able to play cricket. You’ve waited for so long and you want to test yourself against the best and to be scuppered by rain, it’s a real shame for me.”
Players leaving the field during the rain-hit match between the White Ferns and Pakistan. Photo / Photosport
Although New Zealand are on the back foot as they approach the end of the round robin stages, this isn’t sour grapes – rain delays and no results are hardly a new thing in cricket the world over. But it does highlight scheduling flaws from the organisers who appear to have rolled the dice with their eyes on worldwide viewing figures and the lucrative money those television contracts bring with them.
After five of their seven games, New Zealand’s record now stands at two losses (against Australia and South Africa), one win (against Bangladesh) and two no-results. Their remaining fixtures are against two of the big three in women’s cricket; India this Thursday, followed by England on Sunday. With Australia top of the table and assured of their place in the semifinals, South Africa are also guaranteed a top four spot after the points were shared between New Zealand and Pakistan.
The co-hosts will face New Zealand in a day/night match at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Historically, the captain who wins the toss at this venue fields first with dew a potential factor as the evening goes on, making it more difficult for the bowling side who will struggle to grip the ball.
But it will be only the second match at that venue during this competition and with the Sri Lanka v Bangladesh encounter on Monday night being the first, India and New Zealand will be watching keenly to see what conditions are like.
The White Ferns celebrate a wicket against Pakistan. Photo / Photosport
The sides last met on the ODI stage just under a year ago, with the White Ferns heading straight to India after winning the T20 World Cup in Dubai in October. A three-match series in Ahmedabad saw India win 2-1, but with India resting a number of their first-choice players, and New Zealand coming off the back of that World Cup success, it’s hard to see those matches being particularly significant.
India started this tournament strongly, with wins over Sri Lanka and Pakistan, but they faltered in their next game, losing to South Africa after their batter Nadine de Klerk played one of the most memorable innings in World Cup history. She fired 84 not out off just 54 balls, to see South Africa win by three wickets with seven balls remaining.
India went on to set a target of 331 against tournament favourites Australia in their next match and it took the highest successful chase in women’s ODI history to deny them victory, with Australian captain Alyssa Healy scoring 142 off 107 balls, as her side got over the line with an over to spare.
With a passionate cricket nation behind them, India are desperate not to see a repeat of the last World Cup they hosted in 2013, when they crashed out at the group stage. Alongside inspirational captain Harmanpreet Kaur, vice-captain and opening batter Smriti Mandhana can take the game away from the opposition quickly, with her 80 off 66 balls against Australia a taste of her ability against the very best. Rosemary Mair and Jess Kerr will need to keep things tight early on before Melie Kerr, Lea Tahuhu and Eden Carson start their spells. With ball in hand, Deepti Sharma’s off spin has seen her take nine wickets while also contributing valuable runs down the order.
Although the White Ferns bowlers have managed to get overs under their belts in the last two games, the batters haven’t had the chance to get out there and find their rhythm. With Devine and Brooke Halliday in excellent form in the first three matches, the top three of Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer and Melie Kerr will need to set a platform so that Devine and Halliday aren’t placed in rescue mode too early. Bates showed signs of form in the last completed match against Bangladesh, before an unfortunate run-out, but New Zealand need a strong start with valuable partnerships to allow the middle and lower order the freedom to push the scoring rate towards and hopefully past six an over. Maddy Green and Izzy Gaze have the ability to get settled quickly and hit boundaries and need to be given decent licence to do so.
The White Ferns were victorious against India in their last World Cup meeting, albeit that was in the T20 format last year. Devine is well aware that this will be a different proposition.
Sophie Devine: "They're huge favourites playing at home." Photo / Photosport
“Luckily, we’ve got a few days now before our next game against India [on Thursday night], so we’ll certainly prepare really well and we’ve had some good experiences against them of late in terms of the T20 World Cup last year and we’ll be calling upon those. We also know they’re huge favourites playing at home, in conditions that suit them, and they’ve got threats throughout, but again, this is what you want to be doing,” she says.
In June, Devine announced she will retire from the ODI format after this World Cup. She has a potential four matches left in an illustrious 50-over international career, but it’s one step at a time as the White Ferns seek back-to-back world titles against the odds. India lie in wait first and a nation of one billion will be in their corner. It’s time for the White Ferns to deliver.
This story was originally published at Newsroom.co.nz and is republished with permission.
