Star all-rounder Melie Kerr wants to see a stronger response from New Zealand as they head into the final T20I of their series against Australia.
The White Ferns suffered their second heavy defeat on Sunday, losing by 82 runs in Mount Maunganui. With little time to regroup before Wednesday’s match in Wellington, Kerr is calling on her teammates to step up.
“We’ve Been Off the Mark”
So far, the series has been one-sided, with Australia outclassing New Zealand in both matches. Kerr admitted her team hasn’t been at their best.
“It’s been a tough few games for us, and we’re really disappointed,” she said.
“They’re a world-class side, but we’d love to compete a whole lot more than we have. We’ve been off the mark as a team, both with the bat and ball. We’ve bowled too many loose balls, which means we haven’t been able to build pressure. Even our good deliveries aren’t taking wickets because we’re letting them off the hook with bad ones.”
Time for a Fiercer Mindset
Since their standout performance at last year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, the White Ferns have had mixed results, suffering white-ball series losses to India and Australia while securing a lone series win against Sri Lanka earlier this month.
Kerr acknowledges the team is still developing but wants to see more fight on the field.
“We’ve got to keep growing, learning, and improving,” she said. “We still have one more game with a lot to play for. For us, it’s about competing harder, building belief, and showing some real grit—because we know that when we play at our best, we can beat them.”
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Australia Aiming for a Clean Sweep
The final match in Wellington will be Australia’s last after a hectic schedule, and stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath is determined to close out the series with a 3-0 win.
Australia, who were knocked out by South Africa in the semi-finals of last year’s T20 World Cup, are eager to reassert their dominance.
“We’re playing against the world champions, and we want to be the world champions,” McGrath said. “We want to finish the season on a high. The job’s not done—we’re heading to Wellington focused on making it 3-0.”
