New Zealand’s top women’s cricketers have one last chance tomorrow (Saturday 5 February) to push their domestic teams into the 2016 Women’s Twenty20 Final.
Amy Satterthwaite's barnstorming Canterbury Magicians, unbeaten with a six-point lead at the head of the table, have already assured themselves of a place in the Valentine’s Day Final — having secured their position last Friday with a round to spare.
Magician Erin Bermingham. Photosport
A win to defending T20 champions Wellington Blaze in tomorrow’s last round robin will see the dangerous Wellingtonians join them for the Sunday 14 February T20 Final.
However, should the Blaze lose to the Otago Sparks tomorrow, it will offer either the Central Hinds and Northern Spirit, who play each other, the possibility of heading them off for the last spot in the Final, with the Spirit needing also to rocket-boost their net run rate.
Points table
Sophie Devine’s Blaze are meanwhile away to Suzie Bates’ Sparks at Dunedin’s University Oval, the free-entry match beginning at 3pm.
Captain Suzie Bates is out to finish the Sparks' T20 season with a home win. Photosport
The other two fixtures (also free entry) begin at 4pm, all games livescored at www.blackcaps.co.nz.
At Auckland’s Melville Park, the Auckland Hearts — leaders in the one-day format — will be trying to hand the Magicians their first loss; while the Spirit hosts the Hinds at Whangarei’s Cobham Oval, both teams praying that results will fall their way.
Chasing an impessive double: Frances Mackay. Photosport
Magicians allrounder Frances Mackay is in line to finish the T20 round robin as both the leading runscorer and leading wicket-taker of all sides. Mackay heads into tomorrow with the most runs this season (164, ahead of Blaze captain Sophie Devine’s 153 and Hinds captain Kate Broadmore’s 139), as well as the second equal highest tally of wickets (six), just one victim behind joint leaders Anna Peterson, for the Hearts, and Blaze leg-spinner Deanna Doughty.
The Blaze currently sits second both in the Women’s Twenty20 and in the Women’s One-Day competitions, the last rounds of the latter to be played at the same venues on Sunday and Monday across the long weekend. The Women's One-Day Final will be held on Saturday 13 February, venues are yet to be confirmed.
Skipper Sophie Devine, who this season slammed the fastest T20 century in New Zealand domestic history, returns to the Blaze tomorrow after having missed last weekend’s action with a back niggle.
The squad has also been fortified by Australian allrounder Erin Burns, who represented the Hobart Hurricanes in this season’s WBBL and also scored an unbeaten half century for the Blaze in last year’s T20 Final triumph.
