Amy Satterthwaite and Lea Tahuhu were both missed out on White Ferns contracts. Photo / Photosport
Amy Satterthwaite and Lea Tahuhu were both missed out on White Ferns contracts. Photo / Photosport
OPINION:
1. No news has been good news
The White Ferns weren't exactly short of bad publicity. After failing to reach the semifinals of their first home World Cup in 22 years, their coach called it a day before an unstoppable Australian side lifted the trophy in Christchurch.
But withtheir chance at redemption less than two months away at the Commonwealth Games, New Zealand Cricket seized an opportunity to trod on their own wickets.
Whether last week's exclusion of Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu and Frankie Mackay from the annual contract list was the right call remains to be seen. But no hindsight is needed to say it was handled poorly.
For Satterthwaite to be ruthlessly cast aside was ill considered; New Zealand's second-highest ODI scorer never considered at the close of the World Cup she was compiling her finals internationals runs.
NZC excusing her exclusion by pointing to an apparent weakness in T20 cricket stung, according to Satterthwaite, but at least she was contacted personally to get the bad news. Tahuhu received a second-hand invitation via Satterthwaite.
Omitting the senior trio could well prove correct - there's no denying results had been subpar. But it's equally undeniable the White Ferns are overdue for some positive headlines.
2. Win something with kids?
Which is where the new faces enter a complicated picture. It certainly was bold, with the Commonwealth Games followed by February's T20 World Cup in South Africa, to jettison established stars in favour of youth.
The youngsters are being thrown into pressurised environments and will invite unfair but inevitable comparisons with the players they've replaced.
The White Ferns can only hope they're good enough, even though they've hardly been banging down the selection door.
Of the six first-timers included in the 17-strong contracted list, just Fran Jonas was able to crack the initial World Cup squad, and she featured in only the tournament opener.
Georgia Plimmer, who replaced the injured Lauren Down on the eve of the World Cup, looms as Satterthwaite's heir apparent, averaging 10.5 in 22 career T20 matches.
To fill Tahuhu's shoes, Molly Penfold is the only new name in the fast-bowling stocks, averaging 36.9 in 17 T20 matches.
NZC high performance manager Bryan Stronach mentioned several times during Satterthwaite's final press availability that there was exciting talent coming through the system - "a massive change for us".
Now that talent will have a chance to shine at a couple of showpiece tournaments.
3. Make the most of master blasters
Suzie Bates is reaching the twilight of her career. Photo / Photosport
Ideally, a wave of promising youngsters can gradually ease into a team, free from lofty expectations. But in the White Ferns, a couple of their senior teammates will still be expecting great things in their final seasons.
Suzie Bates - the only player to have scored more ODI runs for New Zealand than Satterthwaite - is 34 and can't have long left in international cricket.
Sophie Devine - fourth on that same list - is 32 and, despite being the White Ferns' best player at the World Cup, is likely approaching the end of her peak years.
That pair will be desperate to banish the disappointment of last summer and claim an international trophy before they call it quits (or be unceremoniously dumped from the next contract list). Even if they are now part of a rebuilding team.
4. Important Games to come
The World Cup, a wonderful tournament for the neutral, must still aggravate the White Ferns. They were likely never beating Australia but being unable to play in a knockout game once the crowd restrictions had been lifted was a real blow after a two-decade wait to host the tournament.
That spell in the limelight squandered, the team must have felt especially thankful for the inclusion of women's cricket in the Commonwealth Games, giving them another chance so soon to earn some good will - and maybe even a gold medal.
The fickle nature of T20 cricket means Australia will be a much less formidable force. Forget about needing a good day to beat them, a good hour can suffice.
It would have been tempting to retain the same players who disappointed at the World Cup and give them an immediate chance to rebound.
Instead, with the four World Cup semifinalists all set to feature in Birmingham, a radically changed White Ferns may find a medal of any colour beyond their grasp.
5. Not long left in the spotlight
If the White Ferns do experience adverse results at that tournament, they will quickly be buried under coverage of the golden prospects of their rugby, netball and hockey peers.
And with cricket only the first of three women's World Cups to be played in New Zealand, the team will further cede the spotlight to the Black Ferns and Football Ferns when those events begin.
What was shaping as potentially a banner year for the White Ferns could turn bleak. The contact calls made last week may well leave the team better off in the long run, but there could be some dark moments before any new dawn.
