A host of emerging talent will feature in the women’s three-match North v South T20 Series, which starts in Napier on Friday.
Re-established last summer, the purpose of the series is to provide more playing opportunities to reduce the gap between Domestic and international cricket, with selection rewarded on performance across the Domestic Hallyburton Johnstone Shield and Dream11 Super Smash competitions.
The series is part of NZC’s broader planning in the women’s high performance programme, which also sees the reintroduction of a New Zealand A series in March.
Five contracted WHITE FERNS will bolster the sides with Hayley Jensen and Kate Anderson named in the South team, and Izzy Gaze, Georgia Plimmer and Molly Penfold included in the North.
Allrounder Jensen will captain a familiar-looking South squad featuring six Otago Sparks teammates who claimed the 2023/24 one-day title last weekend.
Emma Black claimed 3/31 in the final and has led all wicket-takers (24 List A, 13 T20) in women’s Domestic cricket this season, a key component to the Sparks' success this summer.
The defending champions, North, will be captained by experienced Wellington Blaze spinner Leigh Kasperek, who finished second only to Black on the wicket-taking ladder this season.
Kasperek will lead a group featuring exciting young talent such as 17-year-old Central Hinds batter Emma McLeod, who was named one of the Players of the Tournament at this season’s Gillette Venus Cup and represented New Zealand at last year’s inaugural ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup.
Auckland Hearts Performance and Talent coach Tarun Nethula will coach the North and Central Districts Performance and Pathways coach Deepak Joon will coach the South, with support from WHITE FERNS head coach Ben Sawyer and NZC High Performance Pathways coach Sara McGlashan.
Head of Women’s High Performance Liz Green said it was important to keep creating opportunities for up and coming players.
“It’s going to be a great weekend,” she said.
“There’s a lot of rivalry between domestic teams so it’s a unique experience coming together and playing alongside one another.
“It’ll be exciting to watch some of our most promising young talent play really competitive cricket.”
Green has been impressed with the number of players making real progress over the summer.
“We’ve seen a number of players stepping up this season which is a combination of hard work and more game time.
“It’s exciting to see the impact that increased playing opportunities is having on the development of players and, with that, confirmation that we’re on the right track.”
Players are divided into teams based on the location of their Major Association; players from the Central Districts Major Association, which spans both the North and South Islands, were divided based on their District Association affiliation.
All three matches will be played at Napier’s McLean Park, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, respectively.
North Squad
Leigh Kasperek (C) (Wellington Blaze)
Prue Catton (Auckland Hearts)
Flora Devonshire (Central Hinds)
Marama Downes (Northern Brave)
Izzy Gaze (Auckland Hearts)
Mikaela Greig (Central Hinds)
Bree Illing (Auckland Hearts)
Emma McLeod (Central Hinds)
Nensi Patel (Northern Brave)
Josie Penfold (Auckland Hearts)
Molly Penfold (Auckland Hearts)
Georgia Plimmer (Wellington Blaze)
Saachi Shahri (Auckland Hearts)
South Squad
Hayley Jensen (C) (Otago Sparks)
Kate Anderson (Canterbury Magicians)
Sarah Asmussen (Canterbury Magicians)
Emma Black (Otago Sparks)
Caitlin Blakely (Otago Sparks)
Olivia Gain (Otago Sparks)
Claudia Green (Central Hinds)
Polly Inglis (Otago Sparks)
Bella James (Otago Sparks)
Felicity Robertson (Otago Sparks)
Izzy Sharp (Canterbury Magicians)
Jess Simmons (Canterbury Magicians)
Gabby Sullivan (Canterbury Magicians)
WHITE FERNS unavailable for selection:
Sophie Devine, Melie Kerr, Lea Tahuhu – WPL
Eden Carson, Suzie Bates, Fran Jonas, Maddy Green – specialist camp in Lincoln
Hannah Rowe, Rosemary Mair, Jess Kerr, Brooke Halliday – workload management
Bernie Bezuidenhout – injury, return to play programme
The matches will be live-scored at nzc.nz and the NZC App, and livestreamed on NZC YouTube.
