After reaching a career-best 137* at Bert Sutcliffe Oval yesterday, the WHITE FERNS’ dependable first drop has now scored 615 ODI runs this calendar year — a New Zealand record for a year without a Cricket World Cup in it. Here’s Amy’s take on “a pretty good day” at the office.
AMY SATTERTHWAITE: “Yeah, yesterday was a pretty good day. It was nice to get three figures again. It’s been a wee while coming to get that third century, so it was certainly good to tick that off — and then, to have finished with a wee red-inker to top it off.
I really enjoyed batting with Katey Martin and the way that we put our partnership together. It wasn’t easy-going at the start. We weren’t scoring as quickly as we would have liked, but we managed to stick through it, work together — and then we were able to accelerate towards the end.
Katey has been in really great form and it was exciting to see her perform again yesterday. That was her third ODI half century from her last four innings for us — and to think the first of those, over in South Africa, was her maiden! I think getting to that first fifty in South Africa did her a lot of good. It gave her some confidence, and it’s great to see her kicking on with that.
I felt for Katey when she had a really unfortunate end to her innings, though. I had had the same thing happen to me in South Africa last month, with Suzie, so I know how it feels. I drove one a little too straight, and the bowler just happened to tip it on the stumps at the non-striker’s. I think it’s one of the worst ways you can go out in cricket!
People who know me know that I do look at the stats a little bit, so I was aware we were reaching some milestones yesterday, but it’s not something I really hold onto. When those things happen, it is nice, but the main thing is you just want to keep going out there each game and performing your role. If that means you end up with a milestone or record, then that’s an added bonus.
When the rain came down in just the eighth over of their reply, there was a moment when I was a bit nervous that we wouldn’t have a game and it would all be annulled, however! Heading into the game, the Friday weather forecast had really not been great, so it was really fantastic that we were able to get underway — and then to get a game of cricket in, ultimately. But whatever happens, happens — you know you can’t control the weather so it was a case of just having to sit around and wait to see how it would go.
Now it’s nice to have the first two wins put away, but tomorrow we start again. Every game, it’s like beginning again.
Sunday is also our first ODI with IWC points at stake and it’s vital for us to have automatic qualification going into the ICC Women’s World Cup next year. We need to win two of these three final IWC points games — it’s our last IWC Series — to make an absolutely certainty of that.
That was our goal coming into this Series, and it’s been nice to have had two games leading into that where we have been able to see a bit more of Pakistan because we haven’t played each other very often at all. The last couple of games, we have been able to see a bit more and now we can really consolidate our plans for Sunday back at Bert Sutcliffe Oval, and the last two games in Nelson after that.”
FAST FACTS
• 150 is the new WHITE FERNS ODI record for the third wicket against any country
• It broke a 20-year-old mark of 138 set by Debbie Hockley and Maia Lewis against Australia in 1996/97
• Satterthwaite batted for 38.1 overs
• Her 137* is the fourth highest ever ODI score for the WHITE FERNS behind Suzie Bates (v Pakistan), Rachel Priest (v Sri Lanka) and Sophie Devine (v South Africa)
• The innings also took Satterthwaite to fifth on the all-time list for WHITE FERNS career runs with 2,516, behind only Debbie Hockley, Suzie Bates, Haidee Tiffen and Emily Drumm
• She has scored more ODI runs in 2016 than any other New Zealander (615 at an average of 68.33 and strike rate of 88.87)
• Satterthwaite’s first two ODI centuries were both in 2012/13, against India and Australia
• The class left-hander now has an overall ODI average of 33.34
• The WHITE FERNS have never scored fewer than 300 batting first against Pakistan in ODIs (three instances)
