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By Sarah Tsukigawa
The White Ferns will look to make history this winter by winning the Quadrangular series that gets underway in England on 23 June 2011.
The kiwis are one of the favourites for the Twenty20 competition having performed consistently over the past two years. New Zealand, Australia, India and hosts England will play each nation play once in each format before the Twenty20 and ODI finalists are decided.
White Ferns coach Gary Stead has real confidence in his team winning both formats.
Getting early wickets has historically been key in both formats and Stead believes their opening bowlers have the pace to knock over opposition top orders.
“The side has an excellent bowling balance, with Tahuhu and Browne providing real pace up front,” said Stead.
The last Quad series in India saw the talents of then youngsters Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine discovered.
Four years later the performances of rising stars Frances Mackay and Lea Tahuhu will unearth a new generation of New Zealand cricketers.
Stead is excited about Mackay, especially opening in the ODI’s. The Canterbury Magicians batsmen showed a lot of promise in her first two games against Australia recently .
"Frances is a hard hitting batsman and a versatile bowler. She has the potential to be a real match-winner for us," Stead said.
The format of the competition has Stead describing it as “unprecedented” with four games in five games and travel on top of that. Therefore gaining momentum and keeping mentally fresh is vital in pursuit of a finals berth.
The White Ferns record in the ODI format has been inconsistent against top four nations with just two wins from 13 in the past two years. However, Stead thinks a few simple changes will make a difference.
“Senior players need to step up and show the others how to win games,” Said Stead.
“When the going gets tough they need to show the desire and commitment to get the team over the line.”
The White Ferns first game is a 20/20 on the 23rd against England.
