Photo Credit: Central Districts Cricket Association
A New Zealand XI squad featuring seven players with international experience has been selected to face Bangladesh in two warm-up matches starting on Monday.
Bangladesh will square off against the New Zealand XI in a 50-over and T20 contest at Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln next week, as they continue their preparations for the series against the WHITE FERNS, starting at Hagley Oval next Friday.
Current WHITE FERNS seamers Hannah Rowe and Molly Penfold are included in the side, as are Kate Ebrahim and Bernadine Bezuidenhout – rewarded off the back of their centuries in last week’s opening rounds of the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield.
Recently contracted WHITE FERNS Leigh Kasperek and Thamsyn Newton, and Commonwealth games squad member Claudia Green are also included, and will have an opportunity to impress in front of WHITE FERNS head coach and selector, Ben Sawyer.
Central Districts wicketkeeper-batter Natalie Dodd, who most recently appeared for the WHITE FERNS against England in 2021, will take the gloves.
The matches will be the first time a New Zealand XI women’s side has been in action since 2021, when England were beaten in a one-day tour match in Queenstown.
New Zealand Cricket Head of Women’s High Performance, Liz Green said the two matches provided a good opportunity for players who had shown promise in recent domestic performances.
“This is an exciting squad that includes international experience, as well as a handful of players who will be staking their claim in the future”, said Green.
“We’ve already seen some really strong performances in the opening rounds of the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield, and those players have been rewarded with selection, as have players who’ve performed consistently over a number of seasons.
“We’ve also included players who we feel can benefit from experience against international teams; these matches are another step in their development.
Green also noted the warm-up matches were opportunities for players the selectors considered suited to the WHITE FERNS style of play.
“We have focused on developing a really clear style of how we want to play both forms of cricket, and the players selected for these matches are those we think will complement that style.
“We want to be developing a clear pathway into the WHITE FERNS environment and that means having players throughout the pathway understanding that style.
“There’s a lot of talent in this squad and we’re looking forward to seeing how it fares.”
Jamie Watkins (Central Hinds) and Craig Cumming (Otago Sparks) have been named as co-coaches for both matches.
The squad assembles in Christchurch on Sunday, ahead of a one-day match on Monday and a T20 match on Wednesday, both at Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln.
The WHITE FERNS squad to face Bangladesh will be named on Monday.
New Zealand XI squad
Bernadine Bezuidenhout (Northern Districts)
Rebecca Burns (Wellington)
Natalie Dodd (wk) (Central Districts)
Deanna Doughty (Wellington)
Kate Ebrahim (Otago)
Claudia Green (Central Districts)
Leigh Kasperek (Wellington)
Shriya Naidu (Northern Districts)
Thamsyn Newton (Wellington)
Molly Penfold (Auckland)
Hannah Rowe (Central Districts)
Saachi Shahri (Auckland)
Gabby Sullivan (Canterbury)
New Zealand XI v Bangladesh
Monday 28 November – 50-Over match – 11:00am, Bert Sutcliffe Oval
Wednesday 30 November – T20 match – 11:00am, Bert Sutcliffe Oval
