Preview: Australia Women tour of New Zealand 2021 | Complete Schedule

Towards the latter half of this month, Australia will tour New Zealand for a three-match T20I and a three-match ODI series. The trans-Tasmanian battle will kick start with the T20I series and the first match will be played on March 28 at Hamilton.

Australia will miss the services of talented all-rounder Annabel Sutherland, since she has been ruled out of the upcoming tour of New Zealand following a stress reaction in her femur. She is replaced by off-spinner Molly Strano.

The 19-year-old Sutherland, who played for Victoria in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL), complained of pain in her thigh after the last round, and scans later revealed the stress reaction. She had an ordinary outing as she managed to score just 62 runs in three innings and four wickets in as many innings. Molly Strano makes the cut into the side. The online cricket betting for the fans gets even trickier now, as Molly is one lucky charm for the Australian Cricket Team. Remember how she went from not being selected in the squad for the Women’s T20 World Cup last year to finally being called in as a replacement for injured Tayla Vlaeminck, who then had the honor of lifting the World Cup for her country and dancing with Katy Perry on that eventful night of 8th March. Could she be the game-changer in the upcoming tour vs New Zealand? 

“It’s unfortunate that Annabel has been ruled out of the series, but our medical team was able to identify the issue early which allows her to go away and get herself right with a busy period coming up,” said national selector Shawn Flegler.

The 28-year-old Strano, who also played for Victoria, on the other hand, had a terrific outing with the ball in the on-going WNCL games, as she scalped 12 wickets in five matches to top the wicket-takers list. So far, Strano has featured in seven T20Is for Australia while she has not yet made her ODI debut. The off-spinner has accounted for nine wickets in seven innings, which included one five-wicket haul as well.

“Molly comes into the squad off the back of strong performances for Victoria in the WNCL, where she’s the current leading wicket-taker. We’ve got plenty of pace-bowling options in the squad, so Molly gives us another spin option should we need it,” said Flegler.

The Australian team will depart for New Zealand on March 13 and will undergo mandatory isolation for a couple of weeks before the series gets rolling.

Australia’s tour of New Zealand 2021 – Complete Fixture

Juili Ballal

I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.