Ben Sawyer. New Zealand White Ferns coach. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
White Ferns coach Ben Sawyer can feel some satisfaction with what he has put in place is starting to bare fruit.
New Zealand will take on West Indies in the T20 World Cup semi-final in Sharjah on Saturday morning.
It is the first time the White Ferns have been in the semi-finals of a World Cup since 2016.
Australian Sawyer has been in charge since June 2022 and in that time they've had some lean runs.
The White Ferns won the bronze medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, but didn't make it out of group play at the 2023 T20 World Cup in South Africa.
The team went into this tournament having won just two of their 19 games in 2024, although they were against the top two sides in the world, Australia and England.
"It's been a tough period," Sawyer told media on the eve of the semi-final.
Despite his team having made it to the last four, Sawyer deflected any personal praise for the achievement.
"I'm just more pleased for the team, I understand the pressure and the noise from outside and that is hard to deal with at times.
"But we're trying to set this team up for a long future and that is going to take time and that people are going to have to learn on the job," he said.
"I've been lucky enough that this has come together at this world cup. If it hadn't then I'm sure there would have been lots of noise about pressure on the team and myself in particular."
New Zealand coach Ben Sawyer. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
White Ferns batter Suzie Bates said Sawyer should be given a lot of credit for them qualifying for the semi-finals.
Bates, who has played 332 games for her country over 16 years, said Sawyer has always backed the players and the style they want to play.
"I think Ben has been brilliant in terms of taking each game as it comes and about the brand we want to play for this pinnacle event," 37 year old Bates said.
"He's stuck to his guns and backed everyone in the group to fill that role and do their jobs, so a lot of credit has to go to him."
Sawyer said the opening group win at the tournament was a milestone for him and the team.
"Most satisfying was the India game because as it was the first game of the tournament we highlighted it in the lead-up and for everything to come together it was the one we stood back and reflected most on."
West Indies have won just five out of the 23 T20Is they have played against New Zealand.
Two of those five wins came in the T20 World Cup, in 2012 and 2016. The 2016 game was also a semi-final, where West Indies defended 143 before going on to beat Australia to lift the trophy.
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