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White Fern Molly Penfold (C) celebrates dismissing Australia captain Alyssa Healy in a one-day international in Wellington.
Photo: Photosport
The White Ferns concede they’ll have a headache putting together a batting order for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka starting in Napier today.
New Zealand have been hit hard by player unavailability and injury for the series, which is followed by three T20 internationals in their first hit-out since being swept on home soil in their ODI series against Australia before Christmas.
Captain Sophie Devine is skipping the series to take a mental health break while star allrounder and 2024 world player of the year Melie Kerr has prioritised the Women’s Premier League in India.
While that has put strain on the batting depth, coach Ben Sawyer must also consider his bowling options after pace bowler Molly Penfold had her series by a knee tear that required surgery and allrounder Hayley Jensen was ruled out of the ODI series with a hip complaint.
Eighteen-year-old Central Districts batter Emma McLeod is in line for a possible White Ferns debut, along with Auckland swing bowler Bree Illing.
Emma McLeod.
Photo: Photosport
Veteran opener Suzie Bates, who will be the stand-in captain against Sri Lanka, said now was an ideal time for those who are pushing for inclusion in the squad to contest the World Cup in India in October to show their wares.
“In a World Cup year it’s just so exciting having so many players in form and we’re really going to be creating competition for spots which perhaps we haven’t had in the past. I see that as a really good thing,” Bates said.
“We don’t have a lot of cricket as a White Ferns team in the buildup. They’ve got their plans in place of what that squad might look like but there’s plenty of opportunity for spots to be taken up.
Photo: AFP/FADEL SENNA
“We’ve had so many people put their hands up in domestic cricket. It is limited opportunities to give people a crack at this level so we get our best World Cup squad.”
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu shapes as a key figure for the seventh-ranked visitors.
She is rated the third-best women’s ODI batter in the latest International Cricket Council player rankings, well above any other player in the series.
Game one begins at 2pm at Mclean Park, followed by two matches in Nelson, on Friday and Sunday.
Squads
White Ferns: Suzie Bates (capt), Eden Carson, Lauren Down, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Bree Illing, Polly Inglis, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Emma McLeod, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe.
Sri Lanka: Chamari Athapaththu (capt), Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Nilakshika Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Anushka Sanjeewani, Manudi Nanayakkara, Imesha Dulani, Achini Kulasuriya, Udeshika Prabodhani, Sachini Nisansala, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Inoshi Priyadarshini, Sugandika Kumari, Rashmika Sewwandi, Chethana Vimukthi.
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