Skipper Sophie Devine is back with the White Ferns. Photo / Photosport
Skipper Sophie Devine is back with the White Ferns. Photo / Photosport
Sophie Devine has spent this week experiencing two different worlds in women’s cricket.
On Monday, she helped Royal Challengers Bangalore win the Women’s Premier League title in India, playing in front of 30,000 fans. On Friday, she will captain the White Ferns against England in Nelson, boosting a team convincingly beaten in the first T20.
Those two occasions – the culmination of a three-week franchise competition and the latest match in an 18-year international career – make Devine ideally placed to assess New Zealand cricket in the context of the global game.
And that’s what the skipper did during this whirlwind week, first raising concerns about the lack of depth in this country before voicing support for attempts to reduce the disparity between her side and nations like India and Australia.
“Being brutally honest, no, there’s not much depth coming through,” Devine told Cricinfo’s Powerplay podcast. “I’ve been lucky to have seen Australian cricket for a number of years, both involved and also from the outside, and see the work that’s been put into their domestic setup.
“That’s what has laid the platform for them to be so successful over the last 10, 15 years – the development of the professionalism of the game and the domestic setup.
“We’re still a fair way off that, and so there’s always going to be a bit of a gap. When you see the White Ferns and the contracted players and then the domestic players, bridging that gap is going to take time.”
Back in Nelson, a few days removed from scoring 32 in an eight-wicket win over the Delhi Capitals in the WPL final, Devine again emphasised that time was essential in lifting New Zealand nearer the global powers.
Sophie Devine and England's Kate Cross enjoyed success with Royal Challengers Bangalore. Photo / Photosport
It may be too late for the 34-year-old, and it’s unlikely to have much effect on this year’s T20 World Cup, but she praised efforts to improve domestic playing stocks and described that process as trending in the right direction.
“New Zealand Cricket have been doing some fantastic things,” Devine said. “New Zealand A, the North-South series and the Super Smash is going from strength to strength.
“We’ve got to be realistic, though. New Zealand is a small country when you compare it to the likes of India. I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn there – that we’re never going to be able to compete in terms of straight-up numbers.
“People reckon it’s all about the money and cash in the back pocket but it’s not all to do with that. It’s about the resources, the opportunities. Access to support is a massive thing, and having high-level coaching is really going to drive the standard forward.
“Plenty of things have been going right for New Zealand Cricket but it’s going to take time.”
The White Ferns have little time to recover from a 27-run defeat on Tuesday, but the addition of Devine and Amelia Kerr will undoubtedly help. After this five-match series, the team have six months to finalise preparations for the World Cup in Bangladesh, which Devine acknowledged as taking a bigger-picture focus.
“It’s just about adding that extra level of confidence and support to the group,” she said of her return. “We’ve got a pretty settled side now with a fair few experienced numbers but we’ve also got these players who have been involved in the setup for a year or two and are starting to find their feet a bit more.
“We’re starting to build a really nice style of play, and we know that if we can all contribute and all play our roles we can be a threat.”
