New Zealand have named all-rounder Sophie Devine as the captain of their team for the upcoming series against South Africa. Devine replaced Amy Satterthwaite who is on a break after the birth of her first child. New Zealand will play three ODIs and five T20Is against South Africa before the World Cup and the series will begin with the first ODI in Auckland on January 25.
“It’s something that you sort of dream of, isn’t it?” Devine said on Thursday (January 16) “I didn’t think it would happen during my cricket career. I just want to continue to build on the fantastic work that both Suzie Bates and Amy Satterthwaite have have bought into the side and really driving the culture behind the team.”
“It’s an exciting time for women’s cricket in this country with the recently signed MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with NZC, a fresh direction with our new coach Bob Carter, and two ICC World Cups on the horizon. We’ve got a good mix of talent and experience in the group, and I’m looking forward to leaning on my fellow senior players to try and build on the good work done by Amy and Suzie Bates,” she shared.
“We’ve been really disappointed with the last couple of World Cup performances. We’ve certainly got a lot of work to do; to win the World Cup and bring it home,” she added.
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Sophie Devine has played 102 ODIs and 83 T20Is where she has scored 4465 runs across formats apart from picking up 149 wickets. She had a superb Women’s Big Bash League recently, where she scored 769 runs in 16 matches and bagged 19 wickets for Adelaide Strikers.
“I’m very confident that Sophie is going to do a great job,” New Zealand coach Bob Carter added. “Look at how great a player she is. Sophie’s been an outstanding performer for the White Ferns for more than a decade now, and we feel she’s ready to step up and lead this team. She has a sound understanding of the game and, most importantly, holds the respect of her fellow players. We believe the leadership can take her game to an even higher level.”
New Zealand Squad for South Africa series: Sophie Devine (C), Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Holly Huddleston, Hayley Jensen, Rachel Priest (WK), Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Katie Perkins, Anna Peterson
