Experienced Players Rejoin New Zealand Squad for England Series
The White Ferns have announced the return of Rosemary Mair and Brooke Halliday to their squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series and subsequent three ODIs against England later this month.
Mair is making a comeback to the squad after her last appearance during last year’s tour to Sri Lanka. Halliday, on the other hand, is returning post recovery from a foot injury that caused her to miss the limited-overs series against Pakistan.
White Ferns head coach Ben Sawyer praised Mair’s recent performance, saying, “Rosemary’s had a great domestic season. She’s been an integral part of the Central Hinds side this summer and has stepped up with her leadership and extra pace, which has been pleasing.”
Sawyer further added, “We identified key areas of her game to work on post the tour of Sri Lanka and we’ve been impressed with the way Rosemary has gone away and worked hard on implementing these into her game.”
A squad of 15 players has been chosen for both the T20Is and ODIs, with Georgia Plimmer being exclusively picked for the ODI series. Eden Carson will feature in the first three T20Is while Leigh Kasperek will take on spin bowling duties for the final two T20Is.
Three standby players will also be named in due course for the trio of stars involved in the Women’s Premier League in India (Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine and Lea Tahuhu) as the series opener in Dunedin coincides with the WPL.
Schedule
1st T20I – Tuesday 19 March – University of Otago Oval, Dunedin
2nd T20I – Friday 22 March – Saxton Oval, Nelson
3rd T20I – Sunday 24 March – Saxton Oval, Nelson
4th T20I – Wednesday 27 March – Cello Basin Reserve, Wellington
5th T20I – Friday 29 March – Cello Basin Reserve, Wellington
1st ODI – Monday 1 April – Cello Basin Reserve, Wellington
2nd ODI – Thursday 4 April – Cello Basin Reserve, Wellington
3rd ODI – Sunday 7 April – Cello Basin Reserve, Wellington
Spinner Eden Carson’s career-best haul in T20Is set up New Zealand’s win over Bangladesh at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023.
New Zealand Squad
Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Eden Carson (1st three T20Is), Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Leigh Kasperek (T20Is 4 & 5), Melie Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Georgia Plimmer (ODIs only), Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu.