New Zealand Cricket (NZC) have announced a list of 17 players who will get the central contract from the Board for the 2022-23 season. Six players from the earlier list of contracted players have been dropped and younger players have been given the go-ahead.
The six players who have been left out are, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu, Katey Martin, Frankie Mackay, Leigh Kasperek and Thamsyn Newton. While Martin retired from international cricket early this month, Satterthwaite announced her retirement after being excluded from the list of contracted players.
Prolific all-rounder and a veteran of the sport – Amy Satterthwaite blessed cricket with her presence for over 15 years.
Happy retirement, @AmySatterthwait 👏#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/C4pZqcXE1z
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) May 26, 2022
The omission of fast bowler Tahuhu comes as a shock given the significant contributions she has made to New Zealand cricket over the years. The 31-year-old was last seen in the 2022 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, which was played in New Zealand. Tahuhu picked up 10 wickets in six matches and was the joint leading wicket-taker for the White Ferns in the World Cup. Off spinner Mackay, who is also 31 years old, was the other leading wicket-taker with 10 wickets in six matches.
Out of the 17 players, six players are receiving contracts from NZC for the first time. Fran Jonas, Molly Penfold and Izzy Gaze from Auckland Hearts, Nensi Patel from Northern Brave, Eden Carson from Otago Sparks and Georgia Plimmer from Wellington Blaze are the new entrants.
Bryan Stronach, NZC’s general manager of high performance, discussed the basis of the selection of the 17 players, who will receive the contracts. It was clear from his words that NZC is looking to the future and wants to have a younger bunch of cricketers in the fray. He also emphasized that it was a tough decision to select the 17 players. However, he mentioned that a player who is not a part of the contract list can be selected to play for the White Ferns in the future.
With regards to the exclusion of six players from the contract list, Stronach said, “They have given their all; have made great sacrifices and retain our absolute respect. It’s also important to emphasize that, just because someone hasn’t received a national contract offer, it doesn’t mean they cannot, or will not, be selected.”
He further added, “This is about having on contract the players we’re most likely to use during the next 12-month period. It’s never easy coming up with a final 17 players. Having said that, we’re excited about the six new faces receiving contract offers, several of whom already have some White Ferns experience under their belt. To be in a position in which we’re genuinely considering the credentials of a wider pool of players can only be viewed as a positive for the women’s game.”
New Zealand women’s contract list: Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Sophie Devine, Lauren Down, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Melie Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Jess McFadyen, Nensi Patel, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe
These 17 players will have time till June 3 to accept or decline the contract offered to them by the NZC.
Quotes are sourced from the ESPN
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