A Women's World Cup that began with great expectations for New Zealand has plunged into gloom, with the hosts on the brink of elimination and key players battling injury.
The one-wicket loss to defending champions England at Eden Park on Sunday, New Zealand's fourth defeat from six games, left them sixth in the standings and needing an unlikely chain of results to qualify for the semi-finals.
Captain
Sophie Devine
, the team's best-performing batter, is nursing a back injury while
Lea Tahuhu sustained a left hamstring strain while bowling against England.
Both are in doubt for the White Ferns' final match against Pakistan in Christchurch on Saturday.
In another blow, assistant coach Jacob Oram has also left the team to return home after his wife and children tested positive for COVID-19.
"Ultimately, family is the most important thing, so we fully support Jacob and his need to return home and care for his loved ones,” head coach Bob Carter said on Monday.
New Zealand will likely need fourth-placed India and fifth-placed England to each lose their final matches heavily to sneak into the semi-finals, joining top-placed Australia and second-placed South Africa.
Although the mathematical chance remains, local media have already penned obituaries for the hosts, who entered the tournament in fine form after a 4-1 series win over India.
"The ifs, buts and maybes will haunt the White Ferns," the New Zealand Herald said.
Barring Devine, who is second on the tournament's runs list with 297, New Zealand's batting has been below par on their home pitches and too prone to collapse.
"The frustrating part is I felt we turned a corner in the series against India before this tournament," said vice captain Amy Satterthwaite.
"We probably ... didn't have the killer instinct that put us in those strong positions to allow our middle-to-lower order to launch."
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