After having seen how much the ball turned in their one-day warmup win over India A at the same venue on Friday, leading New Zealand WHITE FERNS spinner Morna Nielsen says she is “extremely excited” about the beginning of the team’s five-match ODI Series against India today, LIVE on SKY Sport from 3.20pm NZT from M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
“The ball turned square, which was a very different and a really exciting experience for all our spinners given that the pitches we play on at home barely extract any turn,” said the WHITE FERNS’ top-ranked bowler in both ODI and Twenty20 International cricket.
With all five of the One-Dayers and three Twenty20 Internationals being conducted at the same venue, two pitches are being rotated for the eight games over the coming three weeks.
Photos: Anna Peterson
“The pitch for our warmup game was a used pitch so it will be a good indicator for what we can expect in the last few games of the Series in particular,” Nielsen noted.
“Essentially it means the spinners have to really hit good areas all the time as the margin for error becomes so small. But on the flip side it’s very exciting, as it’s an opportunity to implement plans that we wouldn't usually have the luxury of using in home conditions — such as using a short leg.”
The WHITE FERNS eased to a 97-run victory over India A, spin bowlers Nielsen and Leigh Kasperek both picking up economical three-fors while the team’s top order, led by aggressive captain Suzie Bates, got them off to a flyer. Listen to Suzie Bates:
Twenty-three-year-old Dunedin-based Kasperek is looking to make her ODI debut for the Ferns in their first full Series in India since 2003, having previously represented Scotland at international level.
With the ODIs starting at 9am local time in an effort to miss the late afternoon monsoon rains, the FERNS will also enjoy bowling in cooler conditions before the afternoon mugginess sets in.
“That's just something we need to keep an eye on, with regards to hydration,” said Nielsen. “Especially the fast bowlers and batters."
Katie Perkins warms up
"But the conditions have been pretty good on the whole, the climate is a pleasant late 20s to early 30s so a delightful change from the winter conditions at home. It's a nice change to catch the ball with warm hands and the warm-up game was a good opportunity for everyone to have a run around in the field, flush out the legs and get used to running around for three hours again.
“We have been focused on executing our game plans, and the way we want to play the game. We want to really develop our WHITE FERNS style of play. India obviously have a few class players in Mthali Raj, Jhulan Goswami and Harmenpreet Kaur, who are all vastly experienced and key to India. So we have some plans in place, but we’re aware it rests on execution.”
The first three matches of the five-match ODI Series are designated as ICC Women’s Championship games, carrying two points per win and counting towards 2017 ICC World Cup qualification.
