Frances Mackay braced for special milestone

New Update
Frances Mackay braced for special milestone

Frances Mackay in action for Canterbury. © Getty Images



Frances Mackay, captain of Canterbury Magicians, is set to celebrate her 100th one-day match in Canterbury colours in a game against Northern Spirit at the Hagley Oval on Sunday (November 17). She will become the fourth player from Canterbury to reach the milestone, following Haidee Tiffen, Amy Satterthwaite and Erin Bermingham.









Since her debut in 2007-08, the allrounder has scored over 4000 runs, including eight centuries, and taken 141 wickets with her off-spin. Over the years, she cemented her place as one of the team’s most valuable players, making an especially significant contribution last season with 452 runs in six matches. These performances saw Mackay recalled to the international setup where she turned out against India in the T20I series earlier this year.









Unfortunately, the off-spinner suffered an injury on her comeback which ruled her out of a large part of the year. Now that she is back on the field, despite the celebrations surrounding her milestone, Mackay is not getting ahead of herself.









“After what happened last season, getting injured and not quite making it, I’m hoping to get through the 99 on Saturday first,” she said.









“It’s pretty exciting and it will be nice to have the opportunity to bring it (the milestone) up here in Christchurch in front of friends and family. It’s a small club and I know it’s a big deal to get to a hundred and join those girls (before me), so no doubt on Sunday there will be a bit of emotion floating around”.









Reflecting on her career so far, Mackay looked at how the game has changed over the years, while also reminiscing her favourite moments so far.









“When you get to these milestones, you sit down and think about stuff that’s happened over the 100 games,” she said. 









“My first game is still very fresh in my memory and feels like it was just a couple of weeks ago. My first century stands out, my first five-wicket bag and of course some of the titles along the way.”









“Back then (when I started), you could score 120 in a T20 and 200 in a One Day and you’d be in the game. Now to see teams regularly scoring 250 – 300 says a lot about the quality of women’s domestic cricket.”









“We’re now playing on TV and that’s something I honestly never thought I’d see happen. To be able to play on the best grounds and on the best wickets in the country, it’s pretty cool to see where the women’s game has got to.”









Going in to the 2019-20 season, Mackay will continue to play a crucial role in the team’s fortunes, especially in the absence of Satterthwaite who is away on maternity leave.









The right-hander’s contributions and achievements were also hailed by Ben Rapson, head coach of Canterbury.









“She’s the kind of player you can’t replace overnight. It’s not just the runs and wickets that she adds to the team, but also her experience and leadership is extremely valuable. It’s a fabulous achievement to reach her 100th appearance and I know the girls will do her proud this weekend,” he signed off.









Canterbury will face Northern Spirit in back-to-back matches on Saturday (November 16) and Sunday at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.









Squad: Frankie Mackay (c), Sarah Asmussen, Missy Banks, Ella Chandler, Nat Cox, Abby Gerken, Laura Hughes, Emma Kench, Eliza McIntosh, Kirsty Nation, Jacinta Savage, Jess Simmons, Gabby Sullivan.



Subscribe