New Zealand announced a 16-member women’s squad for their upcoming tour to South Africa, and it’s fantastic news for Kate Anderson and Bella Armstrong as they receive their first-ever call-ups for this tour. The action is all set to begin on September 24th.
Kate Anderson had an excellent domestic season representing Canterbury, emerging as the highest run-scorer in the T20 tournament. She was initially supposed to make her debut against Sri Lanka earlier in the year, however, an unfortunate finger injury caused her to withdraw from the series. In contrast, Armstrong’s call-up is exclusively for the T20I series.
Bella Armstrong, a middle-order batter, demonstrated good form in New Zealand’s One-Day tournament, persuading the team management to select her for the next series against South Africa. In response to their inclusion, head coach Ben Sawyer expressed his joy and applauded their recent efforts.
“Kate had an outstanding domestic season last year and was unfortunate to miss the Sri Lanka tour through injury. We like her power and skills with the bat and we’re looking forward to giving her an opportunity on the international stage. Bella’s an exciting young prospect who hits the ball hard and is an outstanding fielder, so she’s got all the attributes that we want from a White Fern,” Ben Sawyer was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
After battling an injury, Pacer Jess Kerr is gearing up for her comeback against South Africa, and this is being hailed as a significant boost for the team. Sawyer expressed his admiration for Kerr, highlighting her status as a top-tier bowler on the global stage.
“It’s a real bonus to have Jess back in the squad after injury ruled her out of the Sri Lanka tour,” Sawyer said. “She’s got a world-class bowling skill set and is especially effective with her in-swinger, which is proving more and more difficult in the women’s game,” Sawyer further added.
New Zealand squad for the tour of South Africa:
Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Kate Anderson, Bella Armstrong (T20Is only), Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Jess Kerr, Eden Carson, Izzy Gaze (ODIs only), Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Amelia Kerr, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu
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