New Zealand is here to stay in the circles of women’s cricket for some time. The upcoming World Cup has eyes of all the lovers and White Ferns seem to be getting ready to make the best of home advantage. According to reports, New Zealand has given Development Contracts to eight of their most promising players.
The contracts are for 2020-21 season and hint towards the intention of New Zealand to invest further in women’s cricket. The youngest out of the lot is 16-year-old is Fran Jonas. She balls left arm Orthodox spin for Auckland Hearts. She made her debut for Hearts in the previous season and has impressed people with her skills and potential.
Great move by @WHITE_FERNS 🙌
8 promising women players have signed Development Contracts for the 2020-21 season as New Zealand Cricket looks to further invest in the women’s game. pic.twitter.com/lcw730Ofcd
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) August 18, 2020
Nick White, head coach of Auckland Hearts, said that “Fran is most definitely a promising young cricketer with a calm, relaxed temperament”.
He added that “She has a fluent, economical action and an excellent work ethic and this is sure to be a great opportunity to continue her development in the game. For us as coaches, it’s about ensuring we look after not just her cricket but also her well-being. She’s still a 16-year-old and we need to be mindful of that as she progresses with her cricket”.
It is the second season for NZC to offer Women’s Developmental Contracts. Ant Sharp, the head of women’s high performance, said that the continuation of Development contracts show the commitment of New Zealand Cricket to women’s game. Sharp said, “It’s exciting to see a new wave of women’s cricketers coming through our Major Association system”.
He added, “These contracts are about giving up-and-coming female cricketers a chance to develop their games by utilising the best coaching resources in the country”. It has to be noted that part of the criteria for selecting the Development Contract list is the chance of the player to make her way to the top into contracted players in the future.
Investing in younger talent serves the games in many ways. It makes the game more competitive as players are better skilled and train. Most importantly, such steps take the game to the masses where the younger generation emerges as the ambassador of the game.
The names awarded the contract is:
Bella Armstrong – Auckland
Skye Bowden – Auckland
Rebecca Burns – Wellington
Eden Carson – Otago
Katie Gurrey – Northern Districts
Fran Jonas – Auckland
Jacinta Savage – Canterbury
Jess Watkin – Central Districts
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