New Zealand's new troubleshooter

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In the first ODI of New Zealand’s five-match series against India in Queenstown, Maddy Green found herself opening the batting - a role she had performed only twice before, against South Africa in 2020. In her third attempt, she made a decent account of herself, scoring an enterprising 17 in a 54-run opening stand - the side’s first 50+ opening stand in 12 matches - with Suzie Bates before she ran past a delivery from Deepti Sharma. A couple of days later, in the second ODI, Green was back down the order at No. 5.

A little over a year earlier, the right-hander had stepped in as the team’s premier off-spinner in the absence of Leigh Kasperek and Anna Peterson during New Zealand’s tour to Australia. Amy Satterthwaite, who had just returned from maternity leave was focused primarily on her batting, so Green, who had begun turning her arm over in the nets (and domestic matches) more regularly, was seen as an alternate option. She bowled 12.4 overs through the series in October 2020 without picking up a wicket, but she was there, answering her team’s call.

For the Women’s World Cup in March-April this year, Green is the backup wicket-keeper in the squad - an understudy to Katey Martin. More accurately, a crisis manager in what would be a worst-case scenario for the home team.

On Tuesday (February 15), in the second ODI of their series against India, commentator Craig Cumming made an observation about Green’s constantly changing roles.

“Maddy Green is an interesting one because she opened in the first ODI, is batting at five now, and is the reserve ‘keeper,” the former New Zealand men’s international said. “She is one of those players in the squad that is going to have to fill a number of roles, which is never easy.”

“Yes,” responded former White Ferns skipper Aimee Watkins, “she is one of those players who has filled lots of different roles, and I sometimes wonder would she prefer to know where she is batting and have a set place in the team? Or is she someone that thrives on knowing that she is ‘Mrs Fix-It’ and it’s her role to jump in whenever needed."

"I know she is a great teammate in the sheds… And I guess her role in the team is ever changing to what is required.”

Since her ODI debut for New Zealand in 2014, Green has batted in eight different positions (from Nos. 2 to 9) through her 44-match career. Her fluctuating role has contributed to rather poor returns at the international level – 777 runs at an average of 21 – and it has appeared for much of her career that Green’s place in the side has rested more on the runs she’s saved than those she’s scored. However, it seems the 29-year-old has finally found a sense of calm in the chaos.

Late last year, on New Zealand’s tour to England, the right-hander made a massive contribution in the team’s only win in the ODIs, scoring an unbeaten 70 in their chase of 179. As the batting group fell around her, Green held one end up, chipping away at the runs. She first shared a 72-run stand with Satterthwaite for the third wicket and followed it up with a 52-run partnership alongside Brooke Halliday. But when Sophie Ecclestone and Katherine Brunt bowled England back into the game, it was Green who saw them over the line with three wickets to spare.

The right-hander carried that promise into the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield, where she scored 265 runs in four innings for Wellington Blaze, with one century and two half-centuries to her credit. Although she failed to meet those same lofty standards through the Super Smash, Green came to the party when her team needed her most – in the title clash against Otago Sparks. With a mind to right the wrongs of their previous final, the Blaze skipper smoked 55 off just 35 deliveries, sharing a 110-run stand with Sophie Devine as they piled up a total of 175 for 4. Wellington went on to clobber Otago by 75 runs and Green was central to that victory.



On Monday, when Green joined her Blaze lieutenant, Amelia Kerr, in the middle, New Zealand had collapsed to 55 for 3 in the ninth over chasing 271. The “three wise women”, their captain, their highest run-scorer, and the usual crisis manager, were all back in the hutch and the hosts’ under-performing middle-order had their work cut out. India’s finger spinners had finally found some rhythm and they could smell blood. But they didn’t anticipate that New Zealand had appointed a new troubleshooter – a certain Madeline Lee Green.

While much of the focus had turned to Amelia Kerr and her deft late cuts and mouth-watering sweep shots, Green settled herself in slowly, collecting four runs off her first 14 balls. She serenely danced down the track and knocked the singles down the ground, her dismissal in the first game doing little to dent her confidence. She continued to use her feet, making full use of her tall frame to come forward or go back, toying with India’s fields. She didn’t try too hard to force the pace or find the boundary; there were gaps aplenty, so she hit them and ran hard. Once she settled in, the big shots were brought out – a couple of excellent lofted strokes over mid-off and two more over mid-on, all in “the Maddy Green arc”.

As the Wellington pair batted on, New Zealand’s confidence grew. India, on the other hand, began desperately searching for answers. They had inexplicably allowed New Zealand to patch themselves together, averting what should have been a definite crisis. At the centre of it, was their new Mrs. Fix-It – jumping in to fulfill the team’s ever changing needs.

Green’s 128-run stand with Kerr put New Zealand in a strong position in their chase of 271. Along the way, she brought up her third ODI fifty – her first at home. Although she got out soon after reaching the milestone, Green had underlined her leadership qualities in what was a difficult situation.

While Kerr, quite rightly, stole the headlines for her match-winning 119 not out, it was her stand with her Wellington skipper that put them firmly on their road to victory.

“Maddy is a quality ball-striker, she is one of the best ball-strikers in the country and that is a real strength of hers – we saw that today with her hitting straight,” Kerr said in the post-match press conference. “She’s got a lot of experience. She’s captained a lot of domestic teams, so she’s got a good cricket brain, and she gets on well with all the girls as well. She’s pretty patient and a good listener. She’s a great leader to have and she is a real professional. She fields well, she’s an athlete, so we’re lucky to have someone like her, and it’s awesome to see her go out and score runs because she’s worked very hard at it.”

Maddy Green may not be a headliner just yet, but she is a key cog in New Zealand’s line-up – a player for all seasons.