Category: Sports

Commonwealth Games – Twenty20 semi-final cricket: White Ferns v Australia

Where: Edgbaston, Birmingham; When: sunday 5am [NZ time]

Live coverage: Sky Sport, live updates on Stuff

ANALYSIS: Contenders or pretenders?

The White Ferns’ return to semifinal cricket for the first time in six years – and five major tournaments – should have been a moment worth celebrating.

They’re in the final four of the Twenty20 tournament at the Commonwealth Games, which means they have two matches to play – a semifinal against reigning T20 world champions Australia on Sunday (5am NZT) and a medal match the following day.

Silverware is still there for the taking for New Zealand’s national women’s cricket team, but they will have to be far better than they were in their final group B outing against hosts England, which took the gloss off their long-awaited achievement.

It has been six years since the White Ferns played a semifinal – a loss to the West Indies at the 2016 T20 World Cup in India – and 12 years since they won one, against the same opponents at the 2010 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.

In that time they did advance straight to a final – losing to England at the 2013 one-day World Cup in Australia – but it’s nevertheless been a while since New Zealand enjoyed success at the business end of a women’s cricket tournament.

The 2018 and 2020 T20 World Cups and the 2017 and 2022 one-day World Cups passed without them even getting that far and their presence in proceedings this weekend is a welcome sight.

Especially after their painful one-day exit on home soil earlier this year, where they had three narrow losses when one win would have been enough to change their fortunes.

The White Ferns’ outing against the hosts on Friday at Edgbaston in Birmingham – where they managed just 71-9 from their 20 overs, after Sophie Devine won the toss and chose to bat – was a more challenging watch than any of those matches, making it hard to picture them heading home with medals.

They’ve gone from relying on four star batters – Devine, Suzie Bates, Amy Satterthwaite and Melie Kerr – to relying on three, following NZ Cricket’s decision not to offer Satterthwaite a contract in May, which prompted her retirement.

That trio led the way in the White Ferns’ opening win against South Africa and while others chipped in as they beat Sri Lanka, they were opponents well below those in the medal mix this weekend.

If none of Devine, Bates or Kerr fire with the bat – as was the case when they combined to make 10 runs against England – it’s hard to see the White Ferns winning at present and it might take all three of them against a side as stacked with talent as Australia.

The record books will tell you that the White Ferns have won two of their last T20s against their trans-Tasman rivals and that they are the only team to have beaten Meg Lanning’s side since their World Cup triumph on home soil in early 2020.

But if they look back at those matches for inspiration, they will see match-winning innings from Satterthwaite and Frankie Mackay, who also wasn’t offered a contract and is therefore absent. Both of them could have bolstered the team this week.

A bounce-back win against Australia can’t be ruled out, but it is an extremely unlikely prospect, and it’s likely to be a match for bronze that awaits the White Ferns on Sunday.

If that’s where they end up, they’ll have to turn around and play within 12 hours and they’ll be hoping it’s India in front of them, not a rematch with the hosts.

England have a hoodoo on the White Ferns in cricket’s shortest format, having won 19 of their last 21 T20 meetings, a record that stretches back more than a decade to 2010, and you’d fancy them to add another if the two teams meet again in a medal match on Sunday.

India have looked a stronger side than New Zealand this week, having pushed Australia close for two-thirds of their opening match, but they’ll be the team the White Ferns will feel the most comfortable against.

They were the only genuine semifinal contender they managed to beat at their home one-day World Cup earlier this year and that, if nothing else, would give them confidence.

When it comes to knockout rounds in sport, by simply being there you give yourselves a chance.

Now it’s time to see what the White Ferns have got.

Shane van Gisbergen/Prince Jefri Ibrahim

Shane van Gisbergen and Prince Jefri Ibrahim won the opening race of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS round at Queensland Raceway.

Van Gisbergen was at the wheel of the #888 Mercedes-AMG GT3 after 60 minutes, with Garth Tander/Yasser Shahin making a move late in the race to finish second in the #1 The Bend Audi LMS EVO, while Fraser Ross/Liam Talbot completed the podium in the #20 Coin Spot Audi R8 LMS EVO.

Am Class winner Mark Rosser finished fourth outright in his #17 Catan Audi R8 LMS EVO, while Brad Schumacher claimed GT Trophy Series honors in the #55 Schumacher Motorsport Audi R8 LMS Ultra.

After finding himself off the road on the opening lap, Prince Ibrahim mounted a recovery effort, climbing back up to third from eighth.

Ibrahim said he worked hard to gain the position back on track.

“I was trying to do my best in the first few laps and messed it up, so I had to make it up before the team kicked me in the ass,” Ibrahim said.

“I just tried to keep it clean, try to gain that position back, and enjoy every moment of the lap.”

The Safety Car was called after mechanical dramas struck by James Koundouris in the #47 Supabarn Audi R8 LMS EVO on Lap 13.

Shortly after the Safety Car pulled off, the pit window opened, with Ibrahim handing over to van Gisbergen who quickly moved through the field into the lead of the race.

Once he had taken command of the race, the Supercars Championship leader traded times with Tander, before Supercars regular David Reynolds in the #24 Bostik Racing Audi R8 LMS EVO joined the fray, posting back-to-back fastest laps, breaking the lap record on Lap 31 with a 1:08.9125s from 10th on the track.

Van Gisbergen credited Ibrahim’s recovery drive with setting up the win.

“I didn’t really do much there, even when I got in I had a 10-second lead or something, so yeah I just drove around, but what an awesome job,” van Gisbergen said.

“He had a tough first lap, but then his passes back through were really, really cool, so hopefully I’ll do the same tomorrow, get him in a good spot, and he can bring it home.”

GTWC Australia will return to the track tomorrow for Race 2 at 14:10 local time/AEST.

Race 2 will be streamed live and ad-free on Stan Sport.

It was a tough day at the office for Coco Gauff, who couldn’t capitalize on any of her opportunities in her quarterfinal loss against Paula Badosa at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose.

The Spaniard rallied from a break down in the first set to record the 7-6(4) 6-2 victory, looking more confident as the match progressed. Gauff obtained an early break to lead 3-1, and served for the opening set at 5-4. However, a few errant shots and some inspired play from Badosa saw the World No.4 break back, before taking the set in a close tiebreak.

With momentum on her side, Badosa seemed more energized as she matched the American’s power from the baseline. Conversely, Gauff appeared deflated, as the errors began to creep into her eleven solid game. The World No.11 was broken twice to fall into a 1-5 hole, and she appeared more frustrated with each shot. Badosa on her part de ella relied on her consistency to engage in long rallies with her younger opponent, which resulted in the Spaniard winning most of the points.

Although Gauff staved off defeat to force Badosa to serve for the match, the second seed was able to do so, closing out proceedings after an hour and 26 minutes.

The second seed will face Daria Kasatkina in the semifinals, after the World No.12 upset fourth seed Aryna Sabalenka in their quarterfinal encounter.

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