White Ferns batter Maddy Green hits the ball towards the boundary in front of South African wicketkeeper Karabo Meso during a T20 World Cup warm-up game in England yesterday. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES Here is an overshared secret. The White Ferns were lucky to win the T20 World Cup two years ago. They entered the tournament on a 10-game losing streak, and just getting out of pool play shaped as a big achievement. Australia and India were favoured to progress. But the White Ferns upset India in their opening game and the oceans parted. England got dumped out during pool play, and Australia were stunned by South Africa in the semifinals. That meant the White Ferns avoided playing two of the competition’s heavyweights in the sudden death games. Nobody saw the title coming. Suzie Bates was filmed dancing like no-one was watching as the White Ferns left the venue, probably still in a state of disbelief, many hours later. The clip went viral, so it turns out a lot of people were watching. And now it is the last dance for the champion Otago batter. Bates will retire from international cricket at the end of the T20 World Cup in England and Wales, bringing an end to a stunning career that has spanned 20 years. The White Ferns are arguably a better team than in 2024. Most of the key performers from that success have returned. Bates is back, of course. Seasoned all-rounder Sophie Devine is still a key cog in the lineup. Batters Maddy Green and Brooke Halliday have expanded their games. Izzy Gaze has made the transition from promising to dynamic opener. Georgia Plimmer has an important role at the top of the innings as well. Veteran fast bowler Lea Tahuhu and seamer Rosemary Mair are back for another shot at glory. Then there are the Kerr sisters, Jess and Melie. Jess should get plenty of swing in the UK. And Melie, well, she carried the White Ferns to victory with a stunning tournament in 2024. She nabbed a tournament-high 15 wickets at an average of 7.33 and was named player of the tournament. The wrist spinner leaned heavily on her wrong ‘un to strike, but she is landing her leg spinner much more consistently now and is a lot more deadly as a result. But her batting has really exploded. She has led the White Ferns in taking a much more aggressive approach and has settled nicely into the captaincy role. She clobbered two half centuries in the warm-up games, including 61 from 32 balls in a five-wicket win over South Africa. They are missing injured Otago offspinner Eden Carson, though. She took nine wickets at 16.33. Her spot has gone to Nensi Patel. Left-armer seamer Bree Illing is a good find. The 22-year-old can be expensive and a little erratic. But she also has the angle to work with and adds variety to a well-balanced attack. The White Ferns had a dream run last time and they have avoided the so-called group of death — otherwise known as group A — which includes Australia, South Africa and India. The White Ferns’ toughest opponents in group B shape as England, who will be tricky on home soil and have had the better of the White Ferns, and the West Indies. They should be too strong for Scotland, Ireland and Sri Lanka. That means their opening game against the West Indies in Southampton on Sunday could decide the fate of their tournament. But here is an undershared secret. The White Ferns are playing a much more dynamic brand of T20 than they managed two years ago. They might not need as much luck this time. adrian.seconi@odt.co.nz White Ferns T20 World Cup squad Melie Kerr (captain), Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine, Flora Devonshire, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Bree Illing, Polly Inglis, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Nensi Patel, Georgia Plimmer, Izzy Sharp, Lea Tahuhu
