A shift of focus from ball to bat has given Bella Armstrong a golden opportunity to make her mark on international cricket. She talks to Merryn Anderson ahead of her potential White Ferns debut this month.
When Bella Armstrong woke up one morning and couldn’t move her arm, she could never have guessed a freak injury would eventually lead her to the White Ferns.
Always selected for cricket teams as a bowler growing up, Armstrong injured her right shoulder – her bowling arm – three years ago.
“I don’t actually know how it happened, weirdly. I woke up one morning and couldn’t lift my arm, had no strength in it, just incredible pain,” the 23-year-old explains.
A contracted member of the Auckland Hearts, Armstrong was worried her inability to bowl would rule her out of playing. But instead, she managed to make a new name for herself with the bat.
“It would have been easy for a coach to just write me off at the time, put me in the injured box and not really look twice. But I was pretty fortunate to have a coach who backed me to play as a batter,” she says.
That was Hearts coach Nick White, who'd been involved in Armstrong’s career since she was 15.
“He had trust in me to go out there and play purely as a batter, which I hadn’t really done too much of leading up to that,” she says.
Armstrong couldn’t even throw that season, having to hurl the ball underarm with her right arm. She still has lasting nerve damage from the injury, shooting pain affecting her in certain actions, but she’s working her way back into bowling as well.
“I really enjoyed that season, even though I was missing such a huge component of my game. But it’s probably pushed me the last two years to keep going," she says.
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Last week, Armstrong was announced as one of two new faces in the White Ferns team to tour South Africa for three ODIs and five T20s – mostly thanks to her efforts at the batting crease over the past season.
She was in Ireland, playing club cricket with former Hearts teammate and current Ireland international Arlene Kelly, when the call from Ferns head coach Ben Sawyer came through. Armstrong was initially confused – “I wasn't even remotely thinking White Ferns to be honest,” she admits.
After texting her cricket-mad brother, Cam, Armstrong had a restless night before being able to deliver the news in person to her visiting parents the next morning.
Although the call-up had come as a surprise at this point of Armstrong's career, becoming a White Fern had been a dream of Armstrong’s for a while. She'd made the Hearts team at just 15, playing alongside White Ferns like Sara McGlashan, Vic Lind, Lauren Down and Maddy Green – the latter returning to Auckland this year after a stint in Wellington.
Armstrong started playing in the backyard with her brother and dad at a young age, and joined Cornwall Cricket Club when she was five. “Mainly because I didn’t want to be watching my brother on a Saturday morning, I’d much rather be playing,” Armstrong laughs.
It wasn’t until she made the Auckland U21 team at the age of 15 that she realised she could take cricket further. She was the top wicket-taker at the 2015 national U21 tournament (with 13 wickets) and was asked to join the Hearts for the 2015/16 season. She’s been there ever since, ascending from the youngest by several years to one of the more experienced players.
“Cricket is a pretty tough sport to play if you’re not enjoying it and the girls in the Auckland team have always made it such a fun and enjoyable environment," Armstrong says. "I think you play your best cricket when you’re having fun."
She had a standout season with the bat last summer, including hitting 71 from 34 balls in a match against the Hinds to power to a 10-run win in the Super Smash.
Armstrong credits her mindset for her performances last season. With many changes in the Hearts environment, she had a fresh perspective.
“I was almost able to focus on performance more – sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in your own head,” she explains.
“I’d like to say it probably paid off a bit, had a few performances I was pretty proud of and I think that’s probably played quite a big part to me sitting at [White Ferns] camp today.
“I think when your mind’s clear is when you play your best sport ... going into this coming season, it’s about how do I replicate that kind of thing and make it more consistent.”
White left the Hearts head coach role in 2022, but Armstrong describes him as one of the biggest influences on her career.
“I hate to think how many hours he spent throwing cricket balls at me,” she laughs. “I still flick him a message every now and then, and he still offers a bit of advice which is cool.”
Rob Nicol has taken over the role, and has already helped Armstrong a lot in his first season as head coach.
“He’s challenged me in different ways, probably ways I haven’t thought about previously, which is cool. It’s kind of what you hope for when you get a new coach, is that they spot something different,” Armstrong says.
She leaves for South Africa with the New Zealand-based White Ferns on Sunday, joining up with head coach Sawyer and some of the key players who've been busy in overseas leagues. She can't wait for the whole group to finally get together.
“The camp has been amazing, the girls have been great, very welcoming. It’s been a lot of work physically and mentally but in the best way,” Armstrong says.
She’s expected to bat somewhere in the middle order, with players like Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Melie Kerr above her.
“I’m pretty excited to play with Maddy Green again, she left the Hearts a few years ago now and she’s always been someone who I’ve enjoyed playing with,” says Armstrong.
“The main thing for me is trying to tap into all the knowledge that’s in the team and the staff to be honest. Some of those girls have played huge amounts of cricket in so many different countries, so the more I can learn off them, the better I’ll get.”
Armstrong picked up a lot from her time in Ireland, playing in the Evoke Super Series. Her 163 not out in a 50-over match was a record for the highest individual score in the competition’s history. Coming from 134 balls, Armstrong struck 19 fours and one six, smashing her Dragons team to victory.
“I’ve always looked to do a winter playing somewhere else, I wasn’t too fussed where because I think there’s so much growth on and off the field. It’s not just about the cricket for me,” she explains.
“From a preparation point of view, I think playing on grass consistently, one to two times a week was mega important and so much better than being in the indoor nets.
“Also just dealing with those game pressures. It’s pretty hard to replicate in training, so to be able to go out and play when other people are training, is pretty cool. There were so many more challenges you don’t really face here, with different pitch conditions, different players you’d never heard of, so you’re exposed to a bit more which is cool. It really pushed me outside of my comfort zone a bit which is what you want in life.”
Armstrong doesn’t mind the pressures of the game, even with the new title of White Fern soon to be attached to her name.
“I actually quite enjoy a bit of pressure, it probably focuses me a bit more on the task in front of me,” she says. “I don’t really get too worried about that kind of thing because I know I can almost put it into my performance.”
Putting her study on hold this year to play in Ireland and now for the White Ferns, Armstrong hopes to finish her sport science degree next year, studying distanced through Massey University.
But for now, her focus is cricket, with her long-term goal to be considered a batting all-rounder adding value to whatever team she plays in.
*The White Ferns play three ODIs against South Africa, starting on September 24, before five T20s in October.
