Wellington, March 11 (H.S.): The New Zealand women’s cricket team has suffered a major setback ahead of the upcoming three-match T20 series. Wicketkeeper Isabella Gaze, fast bowler Hayley Jensen, and batter Bella James have been ruled out of the T20 series against Sri Lanka due to injuries.
In their place, wicketkeeper-batter Polly Inglis, left-arm fast bowler Bree Eilling, and all-rounder Flora Devonshire have been included in the team.
The Sri Lanka women’s team is currently on a tour of New Zealand, where they are playing ODI and T20 series. New Zealand has already completed a clean sweep of the ODI series, winning 2-0.
In the ODI series, Polly Inglis and Bree Eilling made their debuts, while Flora Devonshire has yet to make her debut in international cricket.
According to the New Zealand Cricket Board, Hayley Jensen and Bella James had already been ruled out of the ODI series and have not yet recovered.
The team’s head coach Ben Sawyer said in a statement, We are all disappointed for Isabella, Hayley, and Bella. It’s frustrating for the team and the players, but we know that these three will come back stronger.
Ben Sawyer praised Polly Inglis and Bree Eilling for their impressive start in the ODI series. He said, Both showed great intent and a wonderful understanding of the game. I am confident they will perform well in T20 as well. Flora Devonshire has proven to be an excellent all-rounder at the domestic level and could be a fantastic option for our team.
The three-match T20 series will begin on March 14. The second match will be played on March 16 in Christchurch, while the third and final match will be held on March 18 in Dunedin.
New Zealand Team: Suzie Bates (captain), Rosemary Mair, Eden Carson, Flora Devonshire, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Bree Illing, Polly Inglis (wicketkeeper), Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Emma Mcleod, Georgia Plimmer, Izzy Share.
Sri Lanka Team: Chamari Athapaththu (captain), Nilakshi de Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Imesha Dulani, Inoshi Priyadarshani, Vishmi Gunaratne, Achini Kulsooria, Sugandika Kumari, Harshitha Samarawikrama, Manudi Nanayakkara, Sachini Nisansala, Udeshika Prabodhani, Anushka Sanjeevani (wicketkeeper), Kaushini Nuthyangana, Rashmika Sevawandi, Chetana Vimukti.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
