Women's Internationals: Australia v New Zealand - Sep/Oct 2020

[DEVO]

NZ have a couple of players that seem to be taking up positions in line up and producing very little. Perkins and Down don't bowl yet bat down at 8 and 9. If they aren't offering anything with the ball and aren't offering a great deal with the bat, you have to ask why are they in the line up and do NZ have any one capable of replacing them. If they want to compete with the world champs they need to replace these two with a bowler (preferably a spinner) and someone who can bat higher.

As for Australia, two games in and everybody has contributed to the victories, and there are players waiting on the sideline more than capable of contributing as well, including Perry who has to find her way into the line up somehow. I suspect at the expense of Carey.

What I've liked so far is the POTM awards have gone to 23yo Gardner and 22yo Molineux. The young kids are starting to make their mark.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

NZ have a couple of players that seem to be taking up positions in line up and producing very little. Perkins and Down don't bowl yet bat down at 8 and 9. If they aren't offering anything with the ball and aren't offering a great deal with the bat, you have to ask why are they in the line up and do NZ have any one capable of replacing them. If they want to compete with the world champs they need to replace these two with a bowler (preferably a spinner) and someone who can bat higher.

As for Australia, two games in and everybody has contributed to the victories, and there are players waiting on the sideline more than capable of contributing as well, including Perry who has to find her way into the line up somehow. I suspect at the expense of Carey.

What I've liked so far is the POTM awards have gone to 23yo Gardner and 22yo Molineux. The young kids are starting to make their mark.

Their side is developing, do think they are on the right track but they do need another spinner probably and they definitely need another bat. Their batting is way too heavily reliant on the top two. They really lack a Haynes type at 5 or so.

 

[Teen Wolf]

I'm sure I mentioned earlier in the thread that NZ are missing two key spinners for this tour in Kasperek and Peterson.

But batting experience is definitely not their problem. They do have a Haynes type that can be used at 5, her name is Katey Martin and she was inexplicably used at 7 yesterday. The real problem is their preferred XI remains about two years older than Australia's on average.

This would've been the perfect series to try adding a true young batting prospect to their top 6. Admittedly I can't nominate a candidate, but given that I know for a fact England and (to a lesser extent) the West Indies continue to under-use early-20s talent with the bat, it's plausibly true of New Zealand too. Big mistake, they'll just fall further behind in the longterm with that strategy.

 

[Teen Wolf]

EA Perry ruled out for the remaining four games. Team likely to be unchanged for the third T20 tomorrow, but I think we'll see a few ins-and-outs and back-and-forths for the ODIs.

I was going to save this for the WBBL thread but, having somewhat touched on it in the previous post, here is the debut age of active Aus players (2020-21 contracts in bold, debutantes from the last 5 years in green):

16: Perry
17: Ferling, Cheatle
18: Sutherland, Lanning, Kimmince
19: Jonassen, Wareham, Vakarewa, Wellington, Duffin, Osborne, Villani, Coyte, Gardner, Healy, Schutt, Vlaeminck
20: Molineux
21: McGrath, Stalenberg, Harris
22: Mooney, Haynes
23: Graham
24: Strano, Carey
25: Bolton
-----------------------
31: Burns
33: Aley

Future is set up pretty damn well because, not only have a lot of those newer players already made strong contributions to big series and tournament wins, you can just about guarantee that after the Comm Games in 2022:

• Haynes (at 35yo) will step aside for Litchfield (who will be 19 and probably have already debuted)
• Kimmince (33) will make way for somebody like Darlington (who would be 20, but might miss her shot to a Silver-Holmes/Flintoff etc if she doesn't get in better shape)
• Somebody retires early to start a family, maybe Healy at age 32 (in which case Dooley would be ready at 22)

In short, if you're 23 and just hitting your stride at domestic level, sucks to be you.

 

[The Victorian]

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EA Perry ruled out for the remaining four games. Team likely to be unchanged for the third T20 tomorrow, but I think we'll see a few ins-and-outs and back-and-forths for the ODIs.

I was going to save this for the WBBL thread but, having somewhat touched on it in the previous post, here is the debut age of active Aus players (2020-21 contracts in bold, debutantes from the last 5 years in green):

16: Perry
17: Ferling, Cheatle
18: Sutherland, Lanning, Kimmince
19: Jonassen, Wareham, Vakarewa, Wellington, Duffin, Osborne, Villani, Coyte, Gardner, Healy, Schutt, Vlaeminck
20: Molineux
21: McGrath, Stalenberg, Harris
22: Mooney, Haynes
23: Graham
24: Strano, Carey
25: Bolton
-----------------------
31: Burns
33: Aley

Future is set up pretty damn well because, not only have a lot of those newer players already made strong contributions to big series and tournament wins, you can just about guarantee that after the Comm Games in 2022:

• Haynes (at 35yo) will step aside for Litchfield (who will be 19 and probably have already debuted)
• Kimmince (33) will make way for somebody like Darlington (who would be 20, but might miss her shot to a Silver-Holmes/Flintoff etc if she doesn't get in better shape)
• Somebody retires early to start a family, maybe Healy at age 32 (in which case Dooley would be ready at 22)

In short, if you're 23 and just hitting your stride at domestic level, sucks to be you.

I wouldn’t say 32 is early!

 

[Teen Wolf]

I wouldn’t say 32 is early!

Just in terms of still having more to give. Case by case of course, but her predecessor Jodie Fields retired at 30 (despite attempts by selectors to change her mind). Adam Gilchrist pulled the pin at 36, and that was seen as a somewhat sudden decision.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Meg came out hacking at it blindly from ball one (on which she was dropped at first slip) like I've never seen before, fairly lucky to not be 4 down halfway through the first innings. Mooney got out to a ball by Devine that did a bit of everything, rest of the batting has been real streaky early on (though Gardner has started calmly).

Jess Kerr has somewhat surprisingly come into the team for New Zealand, but has bowled well and would have even tidier figures if not for some pretty snoozy field placings.

EDIT: Lanning actually spooned a full toss to mid-on on the last ball of the tenth. Has to be the worst 20-ball innings she's ever played!

 

[Teen Wolf]

Players saying in boundary-side interviews that this is a tougher pitch to bat on than Sunday. If so, New Zealand will still have done well to chase this small target down. But NZ took 3/24 from 6 overs of spin, so the decision to not play Watkin or Doughty is looking even shakier than the first two games, whether they win here or not.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Bit of a see-sawer late, everybody was uncannily true to form though. Wareham brilliant with key wickets as the thorn in the Kiwis' side. Jonassen turning the momentum like clockwork. Lanning making a horrendous captaincy error in the 18th. Schutt struggling in a 50-50 crunch moment.

For NZ, Green reckless at the top of the order again. Martin the thorn in Australia's side by building a partnership with Satterthwaite, the latter choking away a winning position with a soft dismissal. And then Amelia Kerr, much like a WBBL game at the same ground last season, bailing her team out with bat at the death.

Pretty entertaining contest, keeping in the deja vu theme, but the low-scoring has been a bit of shame. Pitch would've been fine for an ODI, I wonder if we'll get similar with a new deck on Saturday.

 

[Teen Wolf]

7mate for Melb, Perth and Adelaide viewers today. 7TWO for Sydney and Brisbane. We have elected to bowl first, for some reason.

Sutherland making her ODI debut. Kimmince out with a hamstring strain, would've been curious if they'd have played her and Carey in the same 50-over line-up anyway. New Zealand again just going with the one frontline spinner.

 

[DEVO]

Nice start by the Aussies, 2 gone in the six overs. Sutherland looking okay early, a little unlucky with two edges going to the boundary. Bowling around 115/120 as well so she has some pace.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Sutherland's first two overs were about as bad as you'll see at the level, aside from a first ball that spat up off the deck. The only deliveries that landed in the same spot were the leg-side wides.

Third over better results-wise, still all over the shop, but helped by bowling to the left-hander. Finally lands one in a good patch to immediately remove Satterthwaite, suddenly NZ in trouble with Schutt being on the money up the other end.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Far out that was sopht by Devine, easy tuck behind square leg for a couple on offer, instead tries to muscle it over mid-on for six and comes unstuck. Crazy stuff from the captain, given the match situation.

The move to bring the Wolf into the attack early has my vote of confidence. Erring on the full side but bowling to her field and allowing herself the chance of an occasional ripsnorter.

 

[gordo2016]

Great to hear Mahery again in the box. Hodgey and Jonesy working with one of the best at his craft.

 

[DEVO]

I’m not sure why Green is so far down the batting order, she has looked the best of the New Zealanders to date.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Glad to see a couple of the Kiwis dig in, avoiding a total trainwreck. Our tweakers and fielding were a joy to watch as usual to set this match up nicely.

If the logic behind Green batting at 8 is that she's only good for clearing the rope and not working the singles, I guess that was somewhat justified by her innings today. Still, at this stage of her career, NZ gotta back her to bat like a proper top 6 option or don't pick her at all.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Meg cost herself a century with that choice at the toss, for shame. Also a shame about the Bates injury, maybe not too serious but certainly a nuisance. Unlikely to affect the result of this series, but a bad diagnosis would have a big impact on her Strikers.

Following up on something mentioned in the commbox: Despite the mad ODI run Australia are on, I wouldn't get too carried away about how competitive the Aus A team would be on the international stage against the big 6. Copped an ugly beatdown by England in 50-over and three-day tour matches last year, one must not forget.

 

[DEVO]

Aussies won the toss and the Kiwis are batting first.

Ash Gardner is playing so there are no changes for the Aussies. Susie Bates is out for the remainder of the series for NZ and has been replaced by Hannah Rowe.

 

[DEVO]

Dodd has an unusual batting style/stance but she does look like a good prospect for the Kiwis.

 

[DEVO]

NZ looking at 230 to 250 here, which should be a good test for the Aussies.

 

[DEVO]

NZ batted a lot better today, but the last 3 overs were diabolical. They went from 4/245 in the 47th to 9/252.

 

[Teen Wolf]

If Martin had been given an extra 15 balls against Carey and Molineux... what might have been. I don't know why NZ must keep putting so much pressure on Amelia Kerr, as if being a decent 18yo leg-spinner isn't enough of a challenge.

As far as the conundrum about having a third man late in the innings goes: It's not much of a conundrum when you have two fresh batsmen at the crease who are more likely to nick than middle it.

 

[DEVO]

The Aussies are looking really comfortable at the moment, scoring at a run a ball.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Molineux is so overrated with her batting- I was thankful she got out couldn’t hit one off the square. Sutherland is a better bat.

 

[Teen Wolf]

It was almost a majestic knock by Rachael Haynes, until she gave it away unprompted. Lanning's ton was rather untidy by her standards, but it was actually something of a breakthrough: last two innings combined is the longest time she's spent at the crease across three days since her shoulder operation in late-2017 (including WNCL etc).

JJ the true POTM for mine though. Reduced the target by at least 30 through the timing and quality of wickets she took. Carey was the only other Aus bowler who hit a consistent full length today, everybody else was wayyy too short.

The WBBL bubble is gonna look like a M*A*S*H unit at the current rate of injuries popping up. Those back strains can be tricky, sometimes come up remarkably well considering how bad it initially seems. Unlike New Zealand, my Renegades don't have heaps of pace options, so hopefully a rest day on Wednesday for Lea Tahuhu merely as a precaution.