Learning as much as I can: Fran Jonas

Fran Jonas is one of the most promising young players in New Zealand cricket at present. Born in Auckland, she started playing cricket at the age of six, made her debut for Auckland Hearts aged 15 back in December 2019. 

The left-arm spinner had developed by leaps and bounds during her late teenage years. Jonas was handed a developmental contract by New Zealand in September 2020. She didn’t have to wait very long for her international debut, as just five months later, she made her first appearance for the White Ferns against England, aged just 17.

The Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 was the first time Jonas got proper exposure to a big cricketing event, that too on home soil. The White Ferns suffered major heartbreaks in that tournament, falling short in many games by the closest of margins. But it was all a learning experience for the young Jonas. A year later, she was selected in the squad ahead of the U-19 T20 World Cup in South Africa.

During the T20 World Cup 2024, Jonas spoke to Women’s CricZone, discussing the first win against India, New Zealand’s poor form this year, the spin-bowling contingent, the Cricket World Cup 2022 experience and more.

Q: Take us through the feeling of watching the match from the sidelines. How was the whole atmosphere?

Yeah, the atmosphere was pretty incredible, to be honest. They actually got quite a good crowd in and it was pretty loud. So, yeah, it was pretty cool to get the win, obviously getting them all out was pretty special as well.

Q: Coming into the T20 World Cup, New Zealand had a tough time with everyone talking about losing 10 matches in a row. How was the mood in the camp in the face of it?

Yeah, I think we've been up against the two best sides in the world recently, so it's been pretty tough. But I think we back ourselves and we know we've been putting in the hard yards, like the hard work. So I think it was really special to get out there and beat India.

Q: Despite those losses, there were some positives. One was your bowling in England and Australia. How do you separate your individual performance from the outcome of the match?

I think we just keep focusing on what we can do better. Obviously, you can take positives from the game and we've had some special performances from the whole group. But, yeah, just keep looking at what we can work on and nail down the basics.

Q: This T20 World Cup has already shown that spinners will have a great say including New Zealand’s. How do you look at it and the prospect of making a great impact?

Yeah, it's really exciting. Obviously, these pitchers over here probably favor spin, they keep quite low and they've been taking a bit of turn so hopefully we can, you know, take, make the best of that and get some turn.

Q: Talking of spin attack I remember that spin mafia photo with Suzie Bates, New Zealand have Melie Kerr, Eden Carson and Leigh Kasperek in the mix. How do you guys work as a unit?

We all love spending time together planning for the games and I guess having Suzie and me and Leigh, we can learn, we can learn a lot from them and yeah, it's been really good.

Q: Looking back at the start of your career, at the age of 17, you played in the ODI WC back in 2022. You were the youngest player in the tournament. How was your experience? And at 20, you already have a lot of experience. How much have you grown in this period?

Yeah, I think I've been able to grow a lot, obviously having some quality players alongside me and I've been able to, you know, go to a couple of World Cups now, which is pretty surreal. But, yeah, I think I'm just always learning as much as I can. Obviously I'm still quite young so I've still got a lot of things to learn. But, yeah, it's been really good.

Q: And how difficult was the heartbreak of the home World Cup in 2022 where New Zealand lost a lot of close matches? 

Yeah, it was pretty tough. I think having it at home was pretty cool and it was still pretty special, but obviously disappointed to not be able to get through the knockout stages. But I think we also learnt a lot from that tournament.

Q: Now cutting to the present, what are your goals for this T20 World Cup and beyond?

I think it’s just bringing a good energy to the group. Obviously, if I can get out there play, you know, limit runs, take some wickets and just do what I can for the team.

Q: One last question, White Ferns always seem a fun bunch even when things are not going your way. How do guys do it?

I think we've got a really special group. Everyone brings their own energy and I think we just try to keep the energy up no matter what's going on and yeah, just back each other and get around each other.