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Coach exit no distraction: Kiwis

White Ferns skipper backs side to thrive in Australia despite 'confronting' recent review and coach's leave of absence

In the wake of coach Haidee Tiffen’s decision to take a leave of absence ahead of the Rose Bowl series, White Ferns captain Amy Satterthwaite is adamant she won’t let recent changes to the coaching setup hinder the focus of her team.

Satterthwaite admitted she was surprised with Tiffen’s decision but remains respectful of the process that New Zealand Cricket has committed to, throwing her full support behind interim coach Bob Carter.

Tiffen’s move came after a "confronting" review into the White Ferns' T20 World Cup campaign in November which recommended all coaching and support staff roles be advertised at the completion of their contract periods.

The Kiwis failed to progress beyond the group stage in the Caribbean, losing to India and Australia.

“It was a challenging review for all of us involved,” said Satterthwaite.

“I think we acknowledge that our performances haven’t been where we’d like them to be over the last 12 to 18 months and we’ve all got to take our part in improving it.

“He (Carter) has a wealth of experience, I’m sure he’ll be great around the group on this trip and we’ve got a big job ahead."

After their disappointing T20 World Cup campaign, the White Ferns are searching for measures to improve before the T20 World Cup hits Australian shores in early 2020.

Satterthwaite – who replaced Suzie Bates as White Ferns skipper last September, less than two months before the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean – has backed Tiffen to reapply for the position of head coach.

“She’s been a massive part of this team and we’re going to miss not having her around on the tour against Australia,” said Satterthwaite.

“At the same time, we’ve also got a job at hand and we have to put our focus onto that in the short term and get that right.”

With high performance coach Carter stepping up to the role for the Commonwealth Bank ODI series against Australia, Satterthwaite is confident in her team’s ability to adapt to the changes and build on some mixed recent performances against India at home.

“I think it’s only a disruption if you let it be,” said Satterthwaite before traveling to Australia.

“We as players – regardless of whether Bob’s looking after us, or Haidee, or anyone else, we’ve got to make sure we’re taking responsibility for our performances.”

New Zealand head to Australia after a home summer against India which saw them lose an ODI series 2-1 before completing a confidence boosting 3-0 T20I series whitewash.

T20 World Cup: Healy, Schutt power Aussies in to semis

“We ended up I guess coming out with a bit of hunger rather than sitting back and letting them dictate terms and it was something that worked for us against India and certainly brought about better performances,” said Satterthwaite.

“We have to start off against Australia with that mindset and really take it to them. We know that they’re a quality side and we’ve got to perform as a unit to make sure we’re competitive against them.”

Carter – who has spent plenty of time around the White Ferns squad – is equally convinced the shift in won’t impact team performance.

"The team’s very focused," said Carter.

"It’s great that all the players have been playing over this weekend, they’ve had a number of T20 games against India which they won, and they finished off with a very good win in the third ODI against India.

"The other things are in place, so really the only change is that I’m stepping in.”

CommBank ODIs v NZ 

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Nicola Carey, Lauren Cheatle, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Georgia Wareham

New Zealand squad: Amy Satterthwaite (c), Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Hayley Jensen, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Katie Perkins, Anna Peterson, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu

February 22: First ODI, WACA Ground, Perth

February 24: Second ODI, Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide

March 3: Third ODI, Junction Oval, Melbourne