Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Pace bowler Rosemary Mair and all-rounder Brooke Halliday return to the White Ferns squad for the upcoming T20 and ODI series against England.
Spinner Leigh Kasperek is back in the side for the T20s only.
Mair and Halliday are included in a wider 15-strong squad to face England in five T20s and three ODIs starting at University of Otago Oval in Dunedin on 19 March.
Mair is recalled to the squad for the first time since last year's tour to Sri Lanka, following a memorable Super Smash campaign for the Central Hinds.
Photo: Photosport Ltd 2019
The pace bowler finished as the third leading wicket-taker in the competition with 14 wickets, helping the Hinds reach their first T20 Grand Final since 2010, where she claimed career-best figures of 4-5 against the Wellington Blaze at Eden Park.
Halliday returns to the White Ferns squad after recovering from a foot injury which saw her miss the T20 and ODI series against Pakistan at the start of the summer.
The Auckland Hearts all-rounder returned to play midway through the Super Smash competition and impressed more recently on her Auckland Hallyburton Johnstone Shield debut, scoring her third List-A century (108), against the Canterbury Magicians in Christchurch.
Head coach Ben Sawyer said he had been impressed by Mair's performances for the Hinds.
"Rosemary's had a great domestic season," said Sawyer.
"She's been an integral part of the Central Hinds side this summer and has stepped up with her leadership and extra pace, which has been pleasing.
"We identified key areas of her game to work on post the tour of Sri Lanka and we've been impressed with the way Rosemary has gone away and worked hard on implementing these into her game.
"The results speak for themselves and Rosemary's performance in the Super Smash Grand Final showed us that she's ready for another opportunity.
"We're looking forward to having Brooke back in the group after a period out of the team with a foot injury.
"She's an important member of our middle order and, like Rosemary, has shown some strong performances in the domestic season since returning for the Hearts."
Leigh Kasperek's domestic performances for the Wellington Blaze have been rewarded with her first call-up since last year's tour to Sri Lanka.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Kasperek was the second overall leading wicket-taker across both domestic competitions this summer, the Blaze spinner taking 17 and 18 wickets in the T20 and 50-over competitions respectively, helping Wellington claim the Super Smash title and finish runners up in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield.
A 15-strong squad has been selected across both series, with Georgia Plimmer selected for the ODI series only, while Eden Carson (T20Is 1, 2 & 3) and Kasperek (T20Is 4 & 5) will share the spin bowling loads for the T20I series - while also featuring for New Zealand A in the corresponding T20 and 50-over series against England A.
"Leigh has been really impressive with her performances and leadership for the Wellington Blaze this summer," said Sawyer.
"She's been consistent across both the T20 and 50-over campaigns for Wellington and she continues to be part of our planning for the ICC T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.
"She'll bring a wealth of experience to the group for the T20 internationals and will add strong leadership in the New Zealand A group.
Hayley Jensen, who returned for the Otago Sparks midway through the Super Smash following knee surgery last year, will also feature for New Zealand A as she continues her return to international cricket.
Three standby players will be named closer to the series, as cover for the 1st T20I in case Melie Kerr (Mumbai Indians), Sophie Devine (Royal Challengers Bangalore), or Lea Tahuhu (Gujarat Giants) are unavailable due to WPL finals commitments, which coincide with the series opener in Dunedin.
The series is the first time the White Ferns have faced England since claiming victory in the bronze medal match at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and the first time England have visited New Zealand since 2021.
The T20I squad assembles in Queenstown on 8 March for two warm-up matches against England A, ahead of the 1st T20I against England at University of Otago Oval on 19 March.
WHITE FERNS squad v England
Sophie Devine (c) (Wellington Blaze)
Suzie Bates (Otago Sparks)
Bernadine Bezuidenhout (wk) (Northern Brave)
Eden Carson (Otago Sparks) (T20Is 1, 2 & 3 only)
Izzy Gaze (wk) (Auckland Hearts)
Maddy Green (Auckland Hearts)
Brooke Halliday (Auckland Hearts)
Fran Jonas (Auckland Hearts)
Leigh Kasperek (Wellington Blaze) (T20Is 4 & 5 only)
Melie Kerr (Wellington Blaze)
Jess Kerr (Wellington Blaze)
Rosemary Mair (Central Hinds)
Georgia Plimmer (Wellington Blaze) (ODIs only)
Hannah Rowe (Central Hinds)
Lea Tahuhu (Canterbury Magicians)
