Wellington. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has decided to implement a bonus point system in a major change to the points system for the current season of the Women’s Super Smash. Its objective is to increase the scoring rate in matches and bring domestic cricket at par with international standards.
Under the new system, in addition to the four points awarded for a win in the league stage, teams will also be able to earn an additional bonus point in each match. This bonus point will be awarded when a team scores 150 runs or more—whether batting first or chasing. Apart from this, a bonus point will also be given if the run rate is more than 1.25 times that of the opposing team in the second innings. However, a team can earn a maximum of one bonus point in a match.
According to NZC, this decision has been taken after internal analysis of international and domestic tournaments, which revealed that scoring rate, boundary percentage and average score in the first innings are continuously increasing at the global level. This makes it clear that the definition of competitive performance in T20 cricket is changing.
Fran Jonas withdraws from Super Smash
Meanwhile, Auckland and New Zealand left-arm spinner Fran Jonas will not take part in the Women’s Super Smash. She will work on improving her bowling technique over the next six weeks and will aim to return for the second leg of the Haliburton Johnstone Shield in February.
NZC Head of Women’s High Performance Liz Greene said: “It is the best decision for Fran to step away from match pressure at this time. She is an important part of the White Ferns’ plans and has the full support of NZC and Auckland Cricket. She deserves to be commended for making this mature decision.”
last season statistics
Last season, in 32 matches, teams had crossed the 150-run mark in the first innings only six times. The highest team score was 171. There were no scores between 140 and 149, while eight scores were recorded between 131 and 140. And, in 17 innings—including some rain-affected matches—the first innings score was 130 or less.
Focus on international preparation
New Zealand women’s team head coach Ben Sawyer said the revised points system was aimed at strengthening the team’s prospects at the international level.
“This is an exciting change to the competition. It will encourage aggressive batting and wicket-taking bowling plans, which are the most important skills in this format,” he said.
Sawyer further said that high-scoring matches are expected in the T20 World Cup to be held in June and Super Smash will be a great preparation platform for the players. However, he also admitted that the points system alone will not improve the batting level, but individual skills, strategy and coaching will also play an important role.
start of tournament
The Women’s Super Smash begins on Boxing Day at Seddon Park, where hosts Northern Districts take on Auckland. At the same time, defending champion Wellington team will start its campaign against Central Districts on 27 November.
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