New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine has been ruled out of the remainder tour and is set to miss out on the ODI series against Australia. Devine did not play the two T20I games in the series, the reason being quoted as her fatigue.
In her absence, stand-in captain of the White Ferns, Amy Satterthwaite will continue to lead the side in the ODI series. Lately, Devine has been sensational in domestic matches but the international games have seen her form weakening. Coach Bob Carter said that the decision to give her rest was in the best interests.
“As I said earlier in the week, this is about prioritizing Sophie’s needs first. And we’ll put things in place that will support her,” he was quoted saying.
“She was my captaincy choice, and we will deal with that later on, but until now, the big thing is for us to get our heads around this series. Amy did a fantastic job in the final two T20s and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the role,” he added.
The reports, during the T20 series, had said that she had woken up feeling unwell and decided that it would be unfair for the team and for herself to play in such conditions.
“After an extensive season that started back in September 2020, Sophie will look at how she can best balance her cricket commitments with the need to rest and recover over the coming days,” the NZC report said.
Apart from Devine, their all-rounder Frankie Mackay has also been ruled out of the series owing to her calf injury. Off-spinner Leigh Kasperek and all-rounder Hannah Rowe are reportedly said to be part of the squad in the entire series now. Also, Lea Tahuhu has re-joined her team after overcoming her hamstring injury.
Coming back to the squad, she said – “I’m feeling really good. It’s been a busy six weeks working with the medical team to work my way back to be ready for selection. My hamstring has been pretty well tested over the past few weeks getting up to speed, and I’m really confident in how that’s gone and confident I’ll be able to do the job.”
With Australia eyeing to create a record of winning 22 straight ODIs at the Rose Bowl series, the White Ferns have not won the series since 1998-99. The first ODI will be played at Bay Oval in Mt Maunganui on 4th April, 2021.
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