A young and exciting New Zealand women’s XI will play the West Indies in a one-day warm-up match at Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln on Monday.
With an average age of 21, the team is an important glimpse into the next tier of talent, as the women’s game in New Zealand looks to strengthen its depth.
Auckland Hearts batswoman and WHITE FERNS regular Maddy Green will captain the side, which features Canterbury Magicians bowler Thamsyn Newton, who also has national experience.
New Zealand XI
Bella Armstrong (18, Auckland Hearts)
Bernadine Bezuidenhout (24, Northern Spirit)
Sarah Carnachan (26, Auckland Hearts)
Felicity Leydon-Davis (23, Northern Spirit)
Anlo van Deventer (24, Central Hinds)
Maddy Green (c) (25, Auckland Hearts)
Kate Heffernan (18, Otago Sparks)
Arlene Kelly (24, Auckland Hearts)
Jess Kerr (20, Wellington Blaze)
Rosemary Mair (19, Central Hinds)
Thamsyn Newton (22, Canterbury Magicians)
Jess Watkin (19, Central Hinds)
Auckland Hearts rising star Bella Armstrong is the youngest player in the side and has been rewarded for her strong domestic form with the ball, where she claimed the third most wickets (14) in the women’s T20 competition.
18-year-old bowler Bella Armstrong has been turning heads for the Auckland hearts this year. PHOTOSPORT
Fellow teenagers Rosemary Mair (19, Central Hinds) and Kate Heffernan (18, Otago Sparks) are also exciting bowling prospects who could take the new ball, with Heffernan keen to get an early look at the West Indies, before she joins the WHITE FERNS T20 squad next month.
Central Hinds all-rounder Jess Watkin will open the batting and be looking to build on her impressive domestic season, where she featured in three out of the four top-ten runs and wickets statistics.
Auckland Heart Sarah Carnachan will keep wickets, with Northern Spirit opener Bernadine Bezuidenhout playing as a specialist batswoman.
Wellington Blaze bowler Jess Kerr (older sister of WHITE FERN Amelia Kerr) has been selected after claiming 14 wickets in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield.
Jess Kerr in action for the NZC Women's T20 title winning Wellington Blaze. PHOTOSPORT
The New Zealand XI assembles in Christchurch tomorrow ahead of Monday’s game which starts at
The West Indies open their tour against the WHITE FERNS at Bert Sutcliffe Oval on March 4.
A full tour schedule can be found here.
