How Satterthwaite made the leap from good to great
Amy Satterthwaite’s rapid speech is one of the first things you notice about her. But otherwise, it’s her batting numbers in the last few months that makes you wonder what the threshold is. She averages 217 in her last seven One-Day International innings, and it includes a stretch of four consecutive centuries – one of only two cricketers, apart from Kumar Sangakkara in 2015, to achieve the feat.
When the run first started, no one really took notice. She had scored just two centuries in her first 88 ODIs. So, her unbeaten 137, 115 not out and 123 in three against Pakistan at home last November was seen as a second-coming of sorts for someone who made her debut in 2007.
That was to be New Zealand’s last game for the year. It was only when she made a match-winning unbeaten 102 against Australia in Auckland in February 2017 that she grabbed the headlines for the record-breaking effort. She fell 15 runs short in the next game to be the first cricketer on the planet with five consecutive ODI centuries, but that has not diminished her value. She made an unbeaten 78 during an easy win over Sri Lanka in New Zealand’s opening game of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017.
Satterthwaite’s consistency might be something she picked up from her sports idol Roger Federer, but a bigger factor might be the effort that New Zealand Cricket have put in to professionalise women’s cricket.
Last August, New Zealand Cricket announced a new three-year deal for 15 White Ferns players. It enabled them to earn around $40,000 per annum, not counting prize money, endorsements or deals with overseas leagues. It was a move forward in upwards of four times of what the players were earning in the past. The first semi-professional contracts were issued to 10 cricketers in April 2013, which Satterthwaite, despite being a senior member, had declined.
“I definitely deliberated back and forth,” Satterthwaite, who held down a veterinary job for many years, had said then. “I decided it was not for me at this time. That’s not to say I would not look at it again in future, if I was offered.”
She took up the contract when she was offered in July 2015, and that allowed her to concentrate solely on cricket. When not playing, she worked for Canterbury Cricket.
“Honestly, playing more and more cricket. In the last couple of years, playing more and more games,” Satterthwaite said on Wednesday after their game against South Africa Women was washed out, on being asked about the transformation. “Just having that time to work on your game. Pull back on a real job and spend that time. Training more, it has just allowed me to be a bit more confident in my game and be relaxed as well and trust my game. Fortunately, it is something that has just flowed onto the pitch.”
Satterthwaite, whose father played first-class cricket, revealed that the financial security has unlocked her mentally, and allowed her to step up her game. “A combination of both (physical and mental aspect). The time to work on my game and develop new shots,” she elaborated. “There is a physical side to it to a certain extent, but probably more so the mental side. Being relaxed and being able to trust my game – and having the trust of my teammates is huge.”
Only 15 runs separated from Satterthwaite, nicknamed ‘Branch’ for her height, from being a pioneer in many ways, but she is not disappointed with the missed opportunity as team stands above self.
“It’s a question everyone keeps asking, but at the end of the day you keep doing what is best for the team,” she explained. “Sometimes you don’t get the situation to have the opportunity. Fortunate to have a chance, but at the end of the day you are trying to do the best thing for the team and at that stage as I was trying to get as many runs as I could.
“Like anyone else, I look to assess the conditions and assess the bowlers. You are always working with your partner,” she said, sharing her batting philosophy. “When I am batting with someone like Suzie Bates, we focus on building partnerships. It helps you build momentum of sorts and then you go from there. As you assess the conditions, you kick on from there.”
Satterthwaite is a wonderful example of what professionalism can do to women’s cricket. Just like Natalie Sciver, who showed against Pakistan in Leicester on Tuesday that with proper training and facilities power hitting can be a big part of the game. Not far behind in the list is Suzie Bates, New Zealand's captain who is one short of her 100th ODI.
“Suzie has kind of laid the pathway here over the last few years and gone from strength to strength. She is someone who is awesome to play underneath,” Satterthwaite said of her skipper. “She really leads from the front, and sets an example. You can’t ask more from a captain and leader. She keeps getting better and better, it is fantastic to have been playing with her. Really awesome.”
Satterthwaite would be keen to celebrate Bates's milestone with a victory, if she can help it, in the next game against Australia on July 2.
“They are always a good team to play against. They have got a quality side. We have actually enjoyed playing against them in World Cups historically,” she suggested. "Anyone who plays against Australia, if you are able to beat them then it is a good feeling. It kind of sets a benchmark, but you still have got other games to play. You have to take it one game at a time. It probably doesn’t matter who your opposition is in a World Cup like this. Suzie and I spoke about it against Sri Lanka. In World Cups, you go off to another level and just want to put in your best performance.”
Hopefully, a performance as classy as Federer himself.