White Ferns stay calm despite frustrating World Cup start

Sport Nation • June 15th, 2026 10:07 am

Maddy Green | Photo: Photosport

The White Ferns are staying positive despite a frustrating start to their T20 World Cup campaign, with Maddy Green confident the group can quickly turn things around.

New Zealand fell to a seven wicket loss to the West Indies in a last over finish, a result Green admitted left the side frustrated.

“Obviously hugely disappointing for us. We thought we got to a pretty competitive total with the bat on a good wicket,” she told Sport Nation's Scotty & Izzy.

“I thought our bowlers bowled really well and created lots of opportunities, just our fielding really let us down. There’s no beating around the bush about that. We’re a much better fielding side than that and it was extremely disappointing.”

Dropped chances proved costly, but Green said it was not reflective of the work being done behind the scenes.

“It was just one of those nights, a really bad night out. One went down and then a whole lot went down,” she said.

“It doesn’t necessarily reflect the effort that’s going in. We had a great fielding session the day before and the girls were fizzed to get out there.”

World Cup pressure is not just on the newcomers, with Maddy Green saying the whole group feels it.

“For some of us older girls as well, it’s still the pressure of playing in big tournaments, especially when you’ve won the last one and want to win another.”

Despite the setback, the White Ferns remain firmly in contention, though their path forward has become more challenging.

“It probably just makes our road a little harder, but we’re still in the tournament. It means we’ve got to play very well and possibly beat some bigger teams earlier than we would have liked,” Green said.

The messaging from the group has been clear in the aftermath, with a focus on mindset and execution.

“The coaches spoke about the fact it was a really disappointing result, but it doesn’t reflect the skill level within the group,” she said.

“We’ve talked about making sure we’re attacking this World Cup, playing positively and backing ourselves. It’s about focusing on what we’re trying to execute with bat and ball, and in the field, and going for those 50-50 chances.”

“Every ball is a mental reset, are you ready to go again.”

Green also pointed to recent performances as evidence the side can respond.

“We fielded really well for the most part in the series against England last month, so it’s all there. It’s just making sure we go out and back ourselves.”

Individually, Green produced one of the highlights with the bat, scoring 35 off 22 balls.

“I’m relatively happy with how I went. I’m glad I could finish the innings off relatively well,” she said.

“I would have liked to get going a bit quicker, but the situation meant building a partnership for a couple of overs.”

She was quick to emphasise the team result over personal performance.

"I think it's nice that I got a few runs but I would have taken a duck if we'd won that game to be honest."

Green also reflected on her own moment in the field, putting down a chance early in the innings.

“I let a catch go down early against Hayley Matthews, and that was pretty disappointing. I back my fielding there.”

Attention now shifts quickly to the next match, with the White Ferns regrouping through training and review before facing Sri Lanka.

“Training today was about getting the group back together, reviewing everything, bat and ball and in the field, what went well and what we need to improve,” she said.

“We’ve got another session tomorrow morning, then freshen up and get ready for an important game.”

With the tournament still in front of them, the belief within the group remains strong.

“It’s all to play for.”

The White Ferns face Sri Lanka at 1.30am on Wednesday morning (NZT)

Listen to the full interview: