In the Zimbabwe tour of New Zealand series, the White Ferns had two debutants who stole the spotlight in the matches that they had played- Nensi Patel and Kayley Knight. The duo has been playing for the Northern Districts for more than 5 seasons since the 2021 season. Nensi had made her debut in the opening game of the series and delivered an economical wicketless spell of bowling, while Kayley had made her debut in the second match of the series, and she went on to pick up two crucial wickets to open her wicket-tally. They both have been quite impressive in white-ball cricket, and that eventually led to their first-ever international senior team call-up.
“Watching you play was surreal because I have watched you play hundreds of games”, said Kayley Knight. She had watched Nensi start off her domestic career for the Northern Districts, and she felt excited to watch her teammate don the national colours at the highest stage of the game.
Nensi Patel has scored over 400 runs, and she has been a regular wicket-taker for her side in the Women’s Super Smash. In the first match, she bowled 4 overs and conceded just 20 runs without a wicket, but she bounced back strongly in the second game as she had picked up 2 wickets and gave away just 11 runs. She has been well-deserving of her national appearance as she has been a consistent performer with both bat and ball.
“Walking onto the field last night with you together and playing our first game officially as white ferns was amazing. Seeing you in your element and just coming in and being the bowler, you are, and the vibe you bring to the group has been amazing”, said Nensi Patel.
Nensi will be mighty happy about her growth in her career and the growth of her teammate, as they have seen each other play hundreds of games together. To get an opportunity to officially play for the White Ferns together will be a moment that they will cherish in their cricketing careers. Kayley Knight has picked up 18 wickets and has scored 93 runs from 23 matches in the Women’s Super Smash for the Northern Brave. She wasn’t picked in the starting squad in the opening game but later debuted in the second game against Zimbabwe Women, where she picked up 2 wickets and gave away 24 runs from her spell of 4 overs. She will be a futuristic option for the New Zealand Women as she has got it in her for the long haul in white-ball and red-ball cricket.
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