Auckland, May 6 (IANS) New Zealand Cricket has announced a squad comprising a host of emerging talent for the Women’s A tour to Sri Lanka. The tour includes three one-day matches and three T20s, starting from May 12 in Dambulla.

Canterbury men’s assistant coach Brendon Donkers will lead the coaching unit, alongside Northern Brave Women’s head coach Peter Borren, and NZC pathway coach Sara McGlashan.

The squad features seven players with international experience in Kayley Knight, Jess Watkin, Bella Armstrong, Fran Jonas, Hannah Rowe, Kate Anderson and Bella James.

Top-order batter Anderson was recently awarded the Ruth Martin Cup for domestic batting at the NZC Awards after making 776 runs across the season, including 560 at an average of 70 in the Hallyburton Johnstone (HBJ) Shield.

Prue Catton will join Anderson in the batting department after playing a crucial role in the Hearts Super Smash campaign and finishing the competition as one of the top run scorers.

Off-spinner Xara Jetly, the second-highest wicket-taker in both the domestic one-day and T20 competitions, has earned her maiden New Zealand A call up after claiming 35 wickets for the Blaze this summer, including career-best List A figures of 6-39.

Pace bowler Marama Downes finished second equal to Jetly in the Super Smash leading wicket-taking chart also earning herself a maiden New Zealand A call up.

Seamer Emma Black adds her domestic experience to the pace bowling ranks off the back of another memorable season where she led the HBJ Shield wicket-taking charts with 21 wickets.

The squad depart to Sri Lanka on May 7 ahead of their first One Day match in Dambulla

This will be the first women’s New Zealand A tour to Asia providing the opportunity to test the next best women’s cricketers in subcontinent conditions.

NZC head of women’s high performance Liz Green said it was a busy winter for New Zealand’s top female talent.

“Sri Lanka’s going to be a really exciting tour for this group of talented athletes,” said Green. “We know playing opportunities are crucial for player development, so it’s really pleasing to know we’ll have 15 players in England with the white Ferns and 15 players in Sri Lanka with New Zealand A, all at the same time.”

Green said selecting the New Zealand A squad wasn’t easy. “The selection process was one of the most competitive to date. There were a number of impressive performers we saw this summer, which gave us a lot to think about.

“There’s varying levels of experience in this squad, and they’ve all shown skills consistent with what’s needed at the international level, so it should make for an exciting series.”

–IANS

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