The New Zealand women's national cricket team, nicknamed the White Ferns, represents New Zealand in international women's cricket. One of eight teams competing in the ICC Women's Championship (the highest level of international women's cricket), the team is organised by New Zealand Cricket, a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Cricket is a popular sport in New Zealand, which is one of the ten countries that take part in Test match cricket. Cricket is the national and most popular summer sport, second only in total sporting popularity to rugby. The national competition is not nearly as widely followed as the case with rugby, but international matches are watched with interest by a large proportion of the population. This parallels the global situation in cricket, whereby the international game is more widely followed than the domestic game in all major cricketing countries. Women's cricket in New Zealand has always been strong and they played one of the first Tests, against England in 1935, and sent a side to the first Women's World Cup, in England in 1973. New Zealand Cricket was the first men's board to take over the women's game, welcoming it from 1992. The move paid dividends almost immediately: New Zealand was finalists in the World Cup for the first time the following year, while in 2000, it etched its names on the trophy, in front of home crowds. It remains a hugely competitive side, having been runners-up in the 2009 ICC Women's World Cup and the 2009 and 2010 ICC World T20 tournaments. It failed to make it to the semi-final of the ICC Women's World T20 2014.
New Zealand made its Test debut in 1935, against England, becoming the third team to play at that level. With Australia and England, New Zealand is one of only three teams to have participated in all ten editions of the Women's Cricket World Cup. The team has made the final of the tournament on four occasions, winning in 2000 and placing second in 1993, 1997, and2009. At the Women's World T20, New Zealand were runners-up in 2009 and 2010, but are yet to win the event.
Current Squad
| Name | Age | Batting Style | Bowling Style | Forms |
| Suzie Bates | 29 | RIGHT-HANDED | RIGHT-ARM MEDIUM-FAST | ODI, T20 |
| Sophie Devine | 27 | RIGHT-HANDED | RIGHT-ARM MEDIUM-FAST | ODI, T20 |
| Natalie Dodd | 23 | RIGHT-HANDED | RIGHT-ARM OFF BREAK | ODI, T20 |
| Maddy Green | 23 | RIGHT-HANDED | RIGHT-ARM OFF BREAK | ODI, T20 |
| Amy Satterthwaite | 29 | LEFT-HANDED | RIGHT-ARM MEDIUM | ODI, T20 |
| Katie Perkins | 28 | RIGHT-HANDED | RIGHT-ARM MEDIUM | ODI, T20 |
| Rachel Priest | 30 | RIGHT-HANDED | N/A | ODI, T20 |
| Sara Mcglashan | 34 | RIGHT-HANDED | N/A | ODI, T20 |
| Katey Martin | 31 | RIGHT-HANDED | N/A | ODI, T20 |
| Kate Broadmore | 24 | RIGHT-HANDED | RIGHT-ARM MEDIUM | ODI, T20 |
| Leigh Kasperek | 23 | RIGHT-HANDED | RIGHT-ARM OFF BREAK | ODI, T20 |
| Anna Peterson | 26 | RIGHT-HANDED | RIGHT-ARM MEDIUM | ODI, T20 |
| Lea Tahuhu | 25 | RIGHT-HANDED | RIGHT-ARM MEDIUM-FAST | ODI, T20 |
| Hannah Rowe | 19 | RIGHT-HANDED | RIGHT-ARM MEDIUM | ODI, T20 |
| Thamsyn Newton | 20 | RIGHT-HANDED | RIGHT-ARM MEDIUM | T20 |
| Felicity Leydon-Davis | 20 | RIGHT-HANDED | RIGHT-ARM MEDIUM | T20 |
| Georgia Guy | 22 | RIGHT-HANDED | RIGHT-ARM OFF BREAK | ODI, T20 |
| Erin Bermingham | 27 | RIGHT-HANDED | LEG BREAK | ODI, T20 |
| Morna Nielsen | 26 | RIGHT-HANDED | SLOW LEFT-ARM ORTHODOX | ODI, T20 |
| New Zealand | |
| Nickname | White Ferns |
| Association | New Zealand Cricket |
| ICC status | Full member (1926) |
| ICC region | East Asia-Pacific |
| Coach | Haidee Tiffen |
| Captain | Suzie Bates |
| First Test | |
| New Zealand vs. England (Christchurch; 16 February 1935) | |
| First ODI | |
| New Zealand vs. Jamaica (Kew; 20 June 1973) | |
| First T20I | |
| New Zealand vs. England (Hove; 5 August 2004) | |
| World Cup | |
| Appearances | 10 (first in 1973) |
| Best result | Champion (2000) |
| World T20 | |
| Appearances | 4 (first in 2009) |
| Best result | Runner-up (2009, 2010) |
Coaching staff
Head Coach: Haidee Tiffen
Assistant Coach: Matthew Bell
Team's Manager: Helen Mahon-Stroud
Physiotherapist: Helen Littleworth
Assistant Coach: Matthew Bell
Team's Manager: Helen Mahon-Stroud
Physiotherapist: Helen Littleworth
Records
Test cricket
- Highest team total: 517/8 v England, 24 June 1996 at North Marine Road Ground, Scarborough, England
- Highest individual innings: 204, Kirsty Flavell v England, 24 June 1996 at North Marine Road Ground, Scarborough, England
- Best innings bowling: 7/41, Jos Burley v England, 6 August 1966 at The Oval, London, England
- Best match bowling: 10/137, Jackie Lord v Australia, 26 January 1979 at Melbourne, Australia
ODI cricket
- Highest team total: 455/5 v Pakistan, 29 January 1997 at Christchurch, New Zealand
- Highest individual innings: 135 not out, Karen le Comber v Ireland, 19 July 1996 at Sydney Parade, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
- Best innings bowling: 6/10, Jackie Lord v India, 14 January 1982 at Auckland, New Zealand
Early years
In 18th- and early 19th-century England many women played cricket, but this died out as cricket became increasingly identified with manliness. Women remained keen spectators and from the end of the 19th century women’s cricket revived in England, Australia and New Zealand.
The first New Zealand women’s interprovincial cricket tournament was staged in 1933 for the Hallyburton-Johnstone Shield. It continued until 1982. The games were played over two days.
The New Zealand Women’s Cricket Council was formed in 1934, and until 1992 the administration of women’s cricket was separate from men’s. In February 1935 at Lancaster Park a touring England side overwhelmed New Zealand in their first test match.
In 1954 the New Zealand women toured England, playing 19 games, including three tests. Team members had to make their own touring uniforms from a set of patterns and raise money to pay for their transport and accommodation.
Test cricket
After 1935 New Zealand women played only 45 test cricket matches, the last a one-off game in 2004. Their only victories came in 1972 and were over South Africa and Australia. Their victory over Australia in Melbourne by 143 runs was the first time New Zealand had defeated Australia in a cricket test – men’s or women’s.
The women’s team has been defeated 10 times, but only three times since 1972. Most of the matches, predominantly against England and Australia, have been draws.
One-day cricket
In 1973 the first Women’s Cricket World Cup took place and was won by England. This popularised one-day cricket so that it began to dominate international and domestic women’s cricket. Test cricket became a rarity.
To encourage one-day cricket and prepare New Zealand players for the World Cup, in 1981 the Hallyburton-Johnstone competition changed from two-day games to two rounds of 60 overs games.
In 1986 the Shell Rose Bowl for trans-Tasman competition was inaugurated, and in February 2012 the 100th completed game for the Rose Bowl was played. Australia has won 71 times and New Zealand 29.
In April 2016 New Zealand had won 146 and lost 142 of its completed one-day matches. The White Ferns' record in T20 internationals was 46-40.
New Zealand hosted the third ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 1982 and the seventh in 2000. In that year New Zealand won the cup for the first time.
In 1992 New Zealand Cricket Inc. was formed, combining the administration of men’s and women’s cricket. The national women’s team was named the White Ferns at the same time as the men became the Blackcaps.
