White Ferns out to avoid unwanted history in Mackay

Sophie Devine is adamant New Zealand can overcome their recent struggles, saying Australia pose the perfect challenge for her team as they look to avoid an unwanted piece of history on the eve of the T20 World Cup.

If the White Ferns cannot upset world No.1 ranked Australia in Thursday’s series opener in Mackay, they will notch an eighth consecutive T20 defeat – which would be their longest ever losing streak in the format.

New Zealand have lost 11 of their last 13 matches since December, albeit with the most recent 10 of those matches played against a formidable opponent in England.

"Obviously the results weren't what we wanted, but we certainly took plenty of learnings away from that," Devine told reporters in Mackay on Wednesday. "We've had a number of camps where we've addressed where we went wrong and where we need to look moving forward.

"I think it's really important for this group that we stay positive, that we know that we've worked incredibly hard, not just these last couple of months, but leading into that as well.

"Just because we didn't have the results we wanted from that series, we're still a good cricket team.

"For us it's been a real interesting balance of how we want to approach this series with an eye or so on the World Cup but first and foremost, we're here to win this series … it helps playing the best team in the world, I think that's ideal preparation for us."

New Zealand have been bolstered by the return of key quick Rosemary Mair for this series and for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

Devine has also recently been under a cloud after missing the end of The Hundred with a foot injury but on Wednesday the White Ferns skipper was confident she would be right to lead her team against the Aussies.

"I've been on a bit of a pathway in terms of making sure that I'm right with the World Cup and we're trying to make sure that we monitor that," Devine said.

"The body's getting a little bit older now, so we just need to be a bit careful, but I'm certainly looking on track for this series."

Devine said New Zealand had learnt lessons from their 1-4 series defeat to England at home in March and their most recent 0-5 whitewash during July’s tour of the UK.

She pointed to their spinners as a group that would play an important role in the upcoming matches, while Devine was also eager to see how 20-year-old up-and-coming opener Georgia Plimmer would fare against the Australians.

Another player to watch is 23-year-old quick Molly Penfold, who was recently the leading wicket taker in Queensland’s T20 Max competition, taking 14 wickets for Sandgate-Redcliffe.

"It was fantastic to see Molly given an opportunity at the T20 Max and to perform against a different crop of cricketers," Devine said. "There were some quality players there and for her to take as many wickets as she did, it would have given her real confidence

"She's still a very young player, I think it's important to note that she's still very young in her cricketing career, but her ceiling's massive and that's not just because she's six foot tall.

"She's got some massive potential in terms of her athletic ability and what she can bring with the ball, but also with the bat."

Australia have gotten the better of New Zealand in their last two T20I meetings, romping to a 97-run win in the opening match of last year’s T20 World Cup in South Africa, and a five-wicket win in the 2022 Commonwealth Games semi-final.

But this will be the first bilateral T20I series between the trans-Tasman rivals since Australia toured New Zealand in early 2021.

There was no shortage of banter between Devine and Alyssa Healy during Wednesday’s media commitments at the Great Barrier Reef Arena, and the Australia captain said she was looking forward to the start of what will be a summer-long battle against the White Ferns.

The teams are also pitted against one another in Group A of the World Cup, while Australia will travel across the ditch for a three-game ODI series in mid-December as part of the ICC Women’s Championship, before they round out the 2024-25 season with another visit to NZ for three T20Is.

"We've had some really great battles against New Zealand in the past, and it's nice to actually play a home-and-away series against these guys again,” Healy said.

"I've got no doubt that that spice will pick up again tomorrow night.

"I think they haven't quite put the performances that they want to together in the last six months, but they're still an incredibly damaging side, and we're fully aware of just what they can bring."

CommBank T20I Series v New Zealand

First T20: September19, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 7.10pm

Second T20: September 22, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 7.10pm

Third T20: September 24, Allan Border Field, Brisbane, 7.10pm