Women’s World Cup 2022: New Zealand – SWOT Analysis

Cricket fans must have marked their calendars with the Women’s World Cup 2022 being around the corner. The gala tournament will get underway on March 4 with New Zealand being the host nation. With the mega event taking place on their soil, the White Ferns would be raring to get the glory. Notably, the Kiwis won the 2000 edition of the competition and will fight for their second title.

New Zealand’s squad for Women’s World Cup 2022: Sophie Devine (c), Amy Satterthwaite (vc), Suzie Bates, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Melie Kerr, Frankie Mackay, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu

Here’s the SWOT analysis of New Zealand’s squad

Strengths: Being familiar with the conditions is a massive advantage and New Zealand have that. The side with experienced campaigners such as Suzie Bates, skipper Sophie Devine and Amy Satterthwaite, featuring in their fourth World Cup. Katey Martin and Lea Tahuhu have also featured in multiple ODI World Cups before. Hence, all other teams must beware of the Kiwis.

Weakness: While New Zealand have several prominent stars as far as the batting department is concerned, the same cannot be said about their new-ball bowling attack. The home team had struggled to identify a substantial partner for Lea Tahuhu. As a result, scalping early wickets has been a huge problem for them. Although Jess Kerr, a veteran of 13 ODIs, has shown great promise so far, lack of experience might restrict her in the competition.

Opportunities: As mentioned above, many players in the New Zealand squad are well versed with the drill of the World Cup. Hence, it’s a great chance for youngsters like Amelia Kerr, Lauren Down and Rosemary Mair to play without much pressure. All these names are pretty young in the international arena but have shown great promise.

Threats: Now, New Zealand is one of the trickiest places for spinners in white-ball format. Not just the tracks are seam-friendly but the dimensions of the grounds are also on the shorter side. As Zealand selectors shockingly dropped veteran off-spinner, Leigh Kasperek, the onus is now on the young shoulders of Fran Jonas and Amelia Kerr.