Up to four players could debut for the White Ferns in their upcoming home series again the West Indies Women, with a fresh new look to the 14 player squad.
Holly Huddleston, Samantha Curtis, Hayley Jensen and Felicity Leydon-Davis are all in line to make their debuts, while Sara McGlashan and Katey Martin come back into the side after missing out on the tour to the West Indies in October.
Recently named Interim Coach Warren Lees says the team has been picked on current form and feels the new members of the side thoroughly deserve their opportunity.
Lees says “There’s a lot of talent coming through in the women’s domestic competitions and the performances of some of the younger players have really caught our attention.
“We’ve rewarded that good form with their selection and look forward to seeing them get to test their skills against a strong West Indies side.”
White Ferns squad
Suzie Bates (c) - Otago Sparks
Sophie Devine (vc) - Wellington Blaze
Nicola Browne - Northern Spirit
Samantha Curtis - Auckland Hearts
Maddy Green - Auckland Hearts
Holly Huddleston - Auckland Hearts
Hayley Jensen - Canterbury Magicians
Felicity Leydon-Davis - Northern Spirit
Sara McGlashan - Auckland Hearts
Frances Mackay - Canterbury Magicians
Katey Martin - Otago Sparks
Morna Nielson - Northern Spirit
Katie Perkins - Auckland Hearts
Rachel Priest - Wellington Blaze
The home tour features three One Day Internationals and five Twenty20s, with the first match being on 22 February at Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln.
McGlashan returns to the side after a stellar domestic season, having finished the top aggregate run scorer in the Twenty20 competition.
Lees says, “Sara has gone away and taken her game to another level and we’ve been really pleased to see that come through in her performances for Auckland – she’s been dominant.”
Some experienced names drop out of the squad, with Amy Satterthwaite, Sian Ruck, Rachel Candy, Lea Tahuhu and Erin Bermingham the omissions from the tour to the West Indies.
Lees conceded they would miss the experience within that group, but left the door wide open to their return in the future.
“Leaving players out like Sian and Amy is never easy, but we’ll continue to monitor their progress closely.
“I think that Sara and Katey are great examples of how players can work their way back into the side and we expect to see them make every effort to do so.
“The balance between youth and experience in this side is incredibly exciting for us and we can’t wait for the series to get underway.”
