The England Women’s cricket team begin their tour of New Zealand this week and will finally be looking to add some consistency to their performances ahead of the T20 World Cup this summer. Jon Lewis has had a strange tenure since his appointment in 2022, with the recent defeat to India overshadowing the potential of a good winning run following victories over Sri Lanka and Australia.
Runners up in the World Cup final, narrowly defeated by the Aussies were beaten thanks to an inspired performance from Alyssa Healy as she became the highest scorer in any final’s history to deny England becoming one of the best teams in the world.
It was a final that would have knocked the wind out of the Lionesses, as they must try and dust themselves down and prepare for the T20 World Cup, with this New Zealand side representing ideal preparation in a highly anticipated tour.
Since then, the record defeat to India by 347 runs was one of the worst test performances in recent history, and the squad will really be looking to bounce back and improve to avoid another humiliation.
Let’s look ahead to England’s next trip to New Zealand as they face a real test in the form of the Kiwis.
Where and when?
England Women are set to play New Zealand Women in three different ODIs and 5 T20Is between March 19th and April 7th.
The tour starts with two warm-up T20s – on March 10th and 12th – in Queenstown, with the first T20I to be played on March 19 in Dunedin.
The series across Nelson and Dunedin is the last chance England have to win on the road, as they host Pakistan at the start of May after this.
Key players
England – Hollie Armitage
Northern Diamonds captain Hollie Armitage will be pivotal to England’s success if they are to beat New Zealand in this series. She is perhaps the most versatile member of the squad with her batting as strong as right-arm leg bowling.
Having played down under for Sydney Sixers and Tasmania, she will be familiar with the conditions and will be eager to play at the Saxton Oval after enjoying a strong domestic season with teammate Bess Heath.
New Zealand – Rosemary Mair
While number five in the world international rankings, New Zealand are still the underdog on most sports betting sites in India and will have to utilise home advantage as well as the bowling of Rosemary Mair.
Since making her debut in 2019, Mair has performed strongly for her country and stood out recently in the Super Smash, New Zealand’s domestic T20 tournament, as she leads stats in innings and wickets.
What’s been said?
England remains confident coming into this one. They must demonstrate resilience following the loss to India and the tourists will be heading into warm conditions. However, the potential for rain hasn’t dampened the spirits of Lewis, who was thrilled to bolster his squad with Armitage and Linsey Smith.
“We are really looking forward to the upcoming IT20 and ODI series’ in New Zealand,” he said.
“This tour is another important step in our build-up to the IT20 World Cup in Bangladesh later this year.
“We’re delighted to bring in Hollie Armitage and Linsey Smith to the IT20 group. Both selections give us an opportunity to test our depth and develop a wider playing group capable of delivering on the international stage across a very congested and demanding schedule in 2024/25.
“Over the years New Zealand have always been a strong opponent and we look forward to the challenge of adapting to new conditions and playing entertaining cricket. We are looking to build on the successes we had in 2023 and help in growing the women’s game in New Zealand and at home.”
As for New Zealand, Sawyer is well aware of the influence Mair has on the Test, with the former Sydney Sixers boss confident of his side’s ability.
“Rosemary’s had a great domestic season,” the White Ferns head coach said. “She’s been an integral part of the Central Hinds side this summer and has stepped up with her leadership and extra pace, which has been pleasing.
“We identified key areas of her game to work on post the tour of Sri Lanka and we’ve been impressed with the way Rosemary has gone away and worked hard on implementing these into her game.”
Prediction:
Overall, England possesses a stronger squad than the Kiwis squad and should have enough in the tank to reign supreme on foreign soil. There’s every chance they learn from their mistakes against India in what was a shocking defeat with a day and a half to spare, and that should serve as great motivation to go and win the series.
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