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New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has announced their Women’s squad for the upcoming white-ball tour of the West Indies. The tour consists of three One-Day Internationals and five T20 Internationals, starting September 16 at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua.
Fast bowlers Jess Kerr and Molly Penfold and batter Lauren Down have made their comeback to New Zealand’s squad. The trio replaced Claudia Green, Rosemary Mair and wicketkeeper-batter Jessica McFadyen from the outfit that won the bronze medal at the inaugural Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last month.
Notably, Kerr had withdrawn from the multi-team competition because of a foot injury, while Down had taken time off to prioritise her well-being. Veteran all-rounder Lea Tahuhu, who had come in as Kerr’s replacement in the CWG squad, has retained her place in the side.
“It’s an exciting time for the whole squad and particularly the three players making their returns. We’ve seen the success Jess has enjoyed on the international stage in her career to date, and it’s been encouraging to see her working her way back from injury and training with the London Spirt over here in the Hundred in recent weeks,” said head coach Ben Sawyer in an official statement.
“It’s great to see Lauren return after taking some personal time away from the game. She was flying with the bat heading into the ODI World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year, only to be ruled out of the tournament with that thumb injury. So we’re looking forward to welcoming her back into the environment. I first saw Molly bowling when I was working with Australia at the ODI World Cup and remember telling them how good I thought she was, just from watching her practice. You could see she had all the natural attributes for fast bowling, and I’ve been sent a few videos of her recent progress – she seems to be going really well,” he added.
New Zealand Women Squad for West Indies tour:
Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Lauren Down, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Amelia Kerr, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu
