The Cricketer's in-depth look at the White Ferns squad ahead of the tournament on home soil
Coach: Bob Carter has been head coach for New Zealand women’s senior team since September 2019, having previously been assistant coach for New Zealand’s men. He replaced Haidee Tiffen, who left her role following a disappointing 2018 T20 World Cup when the White Ferns failed to make it out of the group stage.
Carter has won two of his six series as head coach, defeating South Africa (January 2020) and India (February 2022), but has only recorded one victory against Australia and England in 14 attempts – a statistic which suggests New Zealand’s 22-year wait for a second World Cup crown may be set to continue.
Captain: Having taken over as captain in 2019 when regular skipper Amy Satterthwaite was on maternity leave, Sophie Devine was handed the reigns on a full-time basis 12 months later. An imposing batting allrounder, Devine has made over 100 ODI appearances for the White Ferns since making her debut in 2006 and is among both the top-five run-scorers and wicket-takers for New Zealand in the format.
Superstars
Amy Satterthwaite: Satterthwaite is undoubtedly one of the White Ferns’ best players. Ranked third in the ICC’s ODI batting standings, the former skipper is among the top-10 run-scorers since the 2017 final and has maintained her good touch over the past 12 months, scoring 366 runs at 40.66 in 2021 and two half-centuries in her side’s opening three ODIs against India in 2022. A staple of New Zealand’s top order since 2007, Satterthwaite is also a canny spinner and may chip in with a handful of wickets.
Lea Tahuhu: Tahuhu leads the seam attack for New Zealand. Both economical and a proven wicket-taker, the 31-year-old is New Zealand’s go-to opening bowler and will hope to use her pace with the new ball to give her side a fast start.
Amelia Kerr: The 21-year-old allrounder missed a chunk of 2021 to focus on her mental health but has returned to both the domestic and international circuit with a bang, most notably scoring her second ODI century against India in February. A rapid run-scorer, she appears to have cemented her place in New Zealand’s top four in recent months. With the ball, she is her side’s leading spinner in the absence of Leigh Kasperek and while not always the most economical, she’s often among the wickets.
Rising star
Fran Jonas may only be 17 years old, but she was given the nod ahead of Leigh Kasperek for this tournament. Despite her inexperience, her left-arm orthodox bowling adds variety to the spin attack alongside Amelia Kerr’s leg-spin and Frankie Mackay’s off-spin, while her ability with the bat has also worked in her favour.
And while her selection may have come as a shock to the cricketing world, the teenager has head coach Carter’s backing. "Frans does deserve an opportunity. She was outstanding through the winter camps that we had among the White Ferns, and she has really grown as a player. Jonas’ ability to bat anywhere from one to 11 - that's a really key thing. That's one thing we want in our group - for players to follow the role and do the job, whatever it looks like, whatever it takes, they want to do it."
Amy Sattherthwaite is a key figure with the bat for New Zealand
BATTING
Power hitters
Veteran trio Devine, Satterthwaite and Suzie Bates are all powerful hitters, with over 380 boundaries between them since the 2017 final. Devine is particularly renowned for this on the T20 circuit, recently blasting 52 fours and 14 sixes in the Women’s Big Bash. Admittedly, she has struggled to replicate that form in 50-over cricket of late but on home soil and with such performances fresh in the memory, a monster knock may not be too far away. Bates, meanwhile, issued a warning shot during her side’s series against India, blasting 10 fours on her way to 106 off 111 balls.
Anchor
With a batting average of 40.66 in 2021, and two half-centuries in the opening three ODIs against India, Satterthwaite is certainly a player to build an innings around and has the experience to score quickly without taking too many risks.
However, on current form, Amelia Kerr may be the central player for New Zealand. A rapid, but not reckless, scorer who favours placement and hard running over raw power, the 21-year-old began the series against India with knocks of 33, 119 not out and 67 and appears to be coming into her own with the bat.
Finisher
Depending on where she plays in the top six, Devine, with her 80-plus strike rate, could take on this role while Maddy Green – who scored 265 runs at a strike rate of 98.15 in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield - or Lea Tahuhu, who has an eye for a boundary, are also options.
Losing Lauren Down to a broken thumb is a huge blow in this department. The 26-year-old hasn't performed consistently on the internationl circuit nor is she the biggest hitter, but she took Deepti Sharma and Jhulan Goswami to task in the third ODI of New Zealand's recent series against India, scoring 64 not out off 52 balls. Her replacement, Georgia Plimmer, is untested at international level.
Problem areas
New Zealand’s batting strength is very top heavy and risks being a tad over-reliant on the past performances of veteran trio Satterthwaite, Bates and Devine. They have batting options aplenty, but experience and a dedicated, proven finisher are in short supply. However, perhaps the main concern lies with captain Devine and where her best position in the side is. She spent 2021 batting at around No.5 and scored just 146 runs at 18.25; by comparison, she averages 48.46 when batting in the top three. She’s been tried in both spots during the recent India series but it’s a tad concerning that New Zealand still don’t have a settled batting order on the eve of a World Cup.
The White Ferns will turn to Lea Tahuhu for wickets
BOWLING
Speed merchants
Lea Tahuhu will lead the seam attack, offering New Zealand both vast experience and raw pace in equal measure. She is New Zealand’s go-to opening bowler and took the most wickets among the seamers in 2021, picking up 12 wickets in seven innings. She is joined by right-arm medium pacers Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Hannah Rowe, Hayley Jensen and Devine.
The skipper is more than just a part-time option, sitting third in New Zealand’s all-time wicket-taking standings and, like Tahuhu, brings experience in abundance. However, Jess Kerr may be the one to watch after bowling career-best figures of 4 for 35 against India in the first ODI. She was also New Zealand’s most economical seamer in 2021, conceding just 4.16 runs per over.
Variation
New Zealand have a three-pronged attack, with right-arm leg-spin (Amelia Kerr), right-arm off-spin (Mackay) and left-arm orthodox (Jonas) options at Devine’s disposal. Kerr, the most experienced of the three, has been New Zealand’s leading wicket-taker since the 2017 final despite missing several matches and appears in good touch on home soil, taking 14 wickets in four Hallyburton Johnstone Shield outings. Satterthwaite’s right-arm offies offer additional depth.
Expect Kerr to be the first-change bowler towards the end of the powerplay while the entire spin attack has been deployed at the death to good effect against India.
Problem areas
New Zealand have selected three very different spinners but appear to have abandoned their variety policy in the seam department. In Tahuhu, Jensen, Kerr, Mair, Devine and Rowe, they have selected six right-armers, five of whom are medium pacers. However, the biggest concern is the absence of Leigh Kasperek, which deprives New Zealand of arguably their best bowler.
Since the 2017 final, only Kerr has taken more wickets than the spinner while in 2021, Kasperek took 14 wickets in just six appearances. Selecting the inexperienced and largely untested Jonas in her place is a gamble from Carter and one which could very easily come back to bite New Zealand.
FIELDING
Gun fielder
Suzie Bates leads the way in the field, taking over 70 ODI catches across her career. However, with six of New Zealand’s top-15 ODI catchers in the squad, there’s no shortage of safe hands.
Who takes the gloves?
Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Katey Martin has custody of the gloves. Only Rebecca Rolls and Rachel Priest have completed more ODI dismissals than the 37-year-old, who has stood behind the stumps on over 50 occasions for the White Ferns. Martin is also a handy middle-order batter and started the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield in fine form, scoring 245 runs in five outings.
Squad: Sophie Devine (c), Amy Satterthwaite, Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Frances Mackay, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu
Fixtures: March 4 – West Indies (Mount Maunganui), March 7 – Bangladesh (Dunedin), March 10 – India (Hamilton), March 13 – Australia (Wellington), March 17 – South Africa (Hamilton), March 19 - England (Auckland), March 26 – Pakistan (Christchurch)
Possible starting XI: Bates, Devine, A Kerr, Satterthwaite, Green, Halliday, Tahuhu, Martin (wk), Jensen, J Kerr, Rowe
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