White Ferns v England highlights. Video / Sky Sports
OPINION:
The Cricket World Cup delivers again – just not for the White Ferns.
Pack the calculators away. Close the drawer on hope. Despite another engrossing finish, the White Ferns' World Cup campaign appears destined for disappointment.
For all the unscripted drama the White Ferns left their bowlers too muchwork in their penultimate pool match against England at Eden Park on Sunday.
Frankie Mackay's career-best figures of 4-34 gave the White Ferns a fighting chance, sparking a crazy collapse of 5-20, but England just held their nerve to sneak over the line by the barest of margins.
Another 10 runs and, who knows, the White Ferns may remain well in the congested hunt for the semifinals. Instead, they are left to regret mounting missed opportunities, and ponder one final match against winless Pakistan in Christchurch on Saturday.
Unfortunately for the tournament, already set against the backdrop of heavily restricted crowds amid New Zealand's peaking Omicron outbreak, the locals have not held their end of the bargain.
Anytime the home nation flops before the knockout stages the event takes a hit.
Frankie Mackay gave the White Ferns a chance but fell just short. Photo / Getty
New Zealand's fourth defeat from six matches all but consigns the White Ferns to playing for pride, and will inevitably see interest wane on these shores.
Even if results – among others the White Ferns need Bangladesh to topple England - somehow go their way, the harsh truth is they don't deserve to reach the semifinals from here. The nature of cut-throat professional sport involves performing under pressure on the pinnacle stage. And it's here the White Ferns have fallen short.
Maybe expectations exceeded reality. Perhaps the promise of a home World Cup blinded the White Ferns' limitations – the reliance on the batting top four and limited bowling penetration.
Warm up victories – the 4-1 series win over India and one-off result against Australia – skewed perceptions of a team that has struggled in recent years.
Whether it is a case of stage fright, a lack of conviction or poor tactics, the White Ferns have failed to rise for too many occasions.
The 20 per cent crowd capacity that arrived with a revival front of mind were mostly subdued – until the closing stages when they came to life.
Unfortunately for those in attendance the consistent theme of squandering strong positions again proved true against England. Four times now the White Ferns have failed to see out their allotted overs.
At this level, with net run rate potentially influential in determining final seedings, those wasted overs shine a glaring light on shot selection and game management.
Sent into bat the White Ferns compiled their best power play (52-0) and opening partnership (61) of the tournament before Suzie Bates needlessly forced the issue to throw her wicket away. Such questionable decision-making has hamstrung New Zealand's flat-lining campaign.
Losing captain Sophie Devine to a back injury – she departed after turning for a second run while unbeaten on 37 from 42 balls with the White Ferns 67-1 in the 15th over – proved prophetic for the familiar batting demise that followed.
Sophie Devine went down injured during the White Ferns' defeat to England. Photo / Photosport
New Zealand's innings immediately stagnated; their run rate dropping as boundaries evaporated. Amelia Kerr fell to a soft dismissal, top edging a sweep while attempting to lift the tempo, but it was Amy Satterthwaite's exit that sparked the collapse which all but ended New Zealand's knockout aspirations.
Losing 6-27 is dire in any situation - let alone one with your World Cup campaign on the line.
When Devine gritted her teeth to return the White Ferns were staggering to 155-6 and in desperate need of intervention.
The skipper was in no state to provide a match-saving knock, though. She could not field in the second innings, with Satterthwaite assuming the captaincy.
Devine's discomfort was clear as she swung for the fence and battled running between the wickets. Nine balls later she was gone and with her so, too, hopes of posting an imposing total.
One day prior at this venue Australia successfully chased 278 – the highest in women's World Cup history – in a tense match against India.
The White Ferns scraped their way to 203, thanks to Maddy Green's fourth ODI half century, but with no one else kicking on it never seemed enough.
In response England, struggling defending champions, made extremely hard work of their chase despite striking eight boundaries in their first nine overs.
Lea Tahuhu put the initial squeeze on as she surpassed Aimee Watkins with her 93rd scalp to become the White Ferns' leading ODI wicket-taker but she soon followed Devine with a hamstring issue after taking 1-18 in 4.4 overs.
Lea Tahuhu of New Zealand reacts after injuring herself. Photo / Getty
Nat Sciver and Sophia Dunkley's 70-run partnership had England in cruise control, delivering the composure the White Ferns middle order could not, until the wobbles hit with Mackay and Jess Kerr (2-36) stepping up when all hope seemed lost.
Somehow, some way, the White Ferns stood on the verge of staving off inevitable defeat.
In the end, though, this tense match went the same way as the West Indies and South Africa. Close, not close enough.
It could now be another 22 years before New Zealand gets the chance to avenge their seemingly premature exit from a home World Cup.
