White Ferns all-rounder Amelia Kerr has some mixed emotions about the grounds she has played on since arriving in South Africa for the T20 World Cup.
Amelia Kerr
Photo: PHOTOSPORTS
As a spinner, she’s smiling…however, as a hitter, she’s not as excited.
New Zealand have played two friendlies against England in Pretoria, winning the first and losing the second.
The second was low scoring with the White Ferns out for 102, chasing 141.
Those matches have not been on international grounds, and Kerr admits they have been a bit variable.
“They’ve been slower, the balls have stayed low and there’s been a bit of a tennis ball bounce.
“One ground spun while on the other the ball stayed at shin height.”
It is the 22-year-old’s first time playing in South Africa and she is unsure of the state of the World Cup grounds, especially further south in Cape Town.
Kerr believes that there is a good chance that they will play against three top players.
One of them could be 21-year-old Eden Carson, who played just nine times for New Zealand and took three wickets in the second friendly against England.
“Definitely, if the wickets are as they have been in practice matches, you would play three spinners.
“It’s been nice that Fran (Fran Jonas, 18) and Eden came into this White Ferns environment and did so well at a young age.”
Eden Carson in training
Photo: PHOTOSPORTS
In fact, Kerr believes that all bowlers have performed well.
“As a collective we have bowled very well and the variety we have is incredible so we can get a lot out of that.
“Obviously we are playing without Sophie (injured captain Sophie Devine) so bringing her back will be huge as she will add a lot of value.
As a hitter, Kerr says partnerships and taking on the early game on the power play is something they’re working on.
White Ferns players have been involved in the domestic T20 Super Smash in recent weeks, with their last international games coming against Bangladesh in December.
“It feels like it’s been a long time since we’ve been together, even though it hasn’t.
“Since Super Smash, we have been working on the roles of each player as it differs from their national teams.
“Playing against England, who are a very successful team in previous World Cups, is incredible for us.
“We are using them to get as much information as possible from each game.”
Devine will not play any of the games against England due to a foot injury, but is expected to be available for official warm-up matches against the West Indies and England next week.
White Ferns’ first World Cup game is against Australia on February 12.
