It is time for the White Ferns’ leading trio to step up and for the rain to stand down.
Game one of the Rose Bowl was washed out and rain threatens to curb some of the contest against Australia at the Basin Reserve again today.
It might seem like an odd call to ask for more from the White Ferns when they can call themselves world champions after surprising many to win the T20 World Cup.
But New Zealand’s form-line against Australia does not provide much cause for optimism.
The visitors are seven-time ODI world champions and the holders of the title.
Some of the White Ferns’ best players have really struggled against their transtasman rivals
Captain Sophie Devine has notched 623 runs at an average of 22.25 in 38 matches against the Aussies.
That average drops 17.81 when playing them in Australia.
When you consider her career average is 31.85, she has, to a large extent, been nullified.
Her strike rate against Australia (67.49) is her lowest against any international opponent.
Amelia Kerr is another star White Ferns player to really labour against the Australian attack. She has scored just 125 runs at an average of 12.50 in 14 games.
Bear in mind, Kerr averages 43 with the bat in the format. She has netted four centuries and 10 half-centuries but her high score against Australia is just 47.
Suzie Bates is the only one of the big three to put Australia under any real pressure.
The veteran opener has scored 1116 runs at an average of 37.20, and that includes three centuries and six half-centuries.
Compared with her career average of 40.14, her record against Australia holds up well.
The White Ferns have been awfully reliant on that trio to get the scoreboard moving. And when they have missed out, there has often not been a lot of help coming from further down the order.
They carry a heavy load, and how they play will likely have a large impact on the results.
But Bates has no concerns about whether they can match Australia.
"They've set the benchmark, they've won a lot of world cups, they've won a number of matches in a row," she said.
"You know when you come up against them you have to be at your best, and I think this team has just grown so much in confidence and in terms of the amount of contributors we have across the board.
"[There’s a] number of players that can chip in by scoring runs, and I think our bowling attack is one of the most challenging when we get it right."
"[Winning the Rose Bowl] would be a great Christmas present for the whole group. I think to be able to look back on the year with that world cup victory and to have a Rose Bowl to take into Christmas would be absolutely golden."
New Zealand Cricket offered free entry and more than 4000 fans were expected to pack the embankment for the opening game.
The national body has extended that offer for the remaining two games of the series.
ODI series
Wellington, 11am
New Zealand: Sophie Devine (captain), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Lauren Down, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Bella James, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Melie Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold.
Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (captain), Tahlia McGrath, Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham.
