24 Feb 2012

Rolls back in Football Ferns

3:47 pm on 24 February 2012

The former New Zealand cricketer Rebecca Rolls has been named in the New Zealand women's football team, 16 years after collecting the last of her 11 caps as an international football goalkeeper.

The 36-year-old, who won 107 caps in a 10-year career for the White Ferns cricket team, has been included as back-up for Jenny Bindon in the 12-nation Cyprus Cup tournament which starts next week.

Rolls, who played for the Football Ferns between 1994 and 1996, is one of three changes to the squad narrowly beaten 2-1 by Olympic Champions USA in Texas earlier this month - the matchwinner coming in the fourth minute of injury time, when only three minutes had been signalled.

Rolls replaces Erin Naylor while Katie Bowen and Emma Kete both return after injury.

The squad is building towards the London Olympics.

New Zealand faces Northern Ireland, Korea Republic and South Africa in Group C of the Cyprus Cup.