The White Ferns have named a 14 player squad for the World Twenty20 tournament to be played over in Bangladesh next month.
The team are in Group A and play their opening match against Australia on March 23, before taking on Ireland, Pakistan and South Africa in pool play. The semi-finals will be played as double headers with their men’s equivalent, before the final on 6 April.
White Ferns Coach Warren Lees feels the tournament is a great opportunity for the side.
“Coming out of a series against the West Indies, we’ll arrive in Bangladesh with a lot of cricket under our belt and ready to make a run for the trophy” says Lees.
“We have a number of players with experience in sub-continent conditions who have played at big tournaments and we’ll need their leadership to help guide some of the younger members of the squad.”
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 Nielsen - Northern Spirit
Katie Perkins - Auckland Hearts
Rachel Priest - Wellington Blaze
The squad is the same as the one which will take on the West Indies Women in a home series beginning this Saturday. The team meet at Lincoln tomorrow ahead of the three One Day Internationals and five Twenty20 series.
Lees says he’s excited to see this group of players in action.
“This is a relatively fresh looking squad, but it’s certainly not short on talent.
“With four uncapped players they’ll need a little bit of time to gel, but there are enough old heads in the side to make sure it’s a smooth transition.
“Once comfortable, there’s no limit to what this team can achieve and I’m looking forward to seeing them out on Bert Sutcliffe Oval this Saturday.“
The three ODIs will all be played at Lincoln and start at 10.30am.
