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Andrew Cornaga / Photosport
White Ferns captain Sophie Devine will remain on the sidelines as she faces fatigue.
White Ferns captain Sophie Devine will miss the ODI series against Australia to take an additional rest period to deal with fatigue.
The 31-year-old off-roader has not played in the past two Twenty20s against the Australians, and a statement from New Zealand Cricket on Saturday said she would return home to Wellington and have more time on the sidelines.
New Zealand coach Bob Carter said the decision was made in Devine’s best interest.
Andrew Cornaga / Photosport
Sophie Devine has been excellent on the national scene, but lately she’s been struggling internationally.
“Like I said earlier in the week, it’s about prioritizing Sophie’s needs first,” Carter said.
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“And we will put things in place that will support her.”
Devine was late to the dramatic last-ball victory in the second T20I at Napier on Tuesday, and a team spokesman originally reported that he had woken up feeling ill and had stayed at the team hotel.
It was in an NZC statement Wednesday afternoon that Devine was revealed to be suffering from fatigue and “did not think she could do justice to the team or herself playing.
He added: “After an extensive season that began in September 2020, Sophie will look to how she can best balance her cricket commitments with the need to rest and recover in the days ahead.”
Devine also did not participate in the third and final T20I at Eden Park on Thursday.
While Devine has been in sensational form recently on the national scene, both in New Zealand and Australia’s WBBL, including taking part in the series in the latter late last year, and breaking a record century in the former earlier. This year, she has had a hard time in the international game.
RNZ
A few nerves and two weeks of isolation weren’t enough to keep White Ferns cricket captain Sophie Devine at bay.
After scoring just 47 runs in all three ODIs and three T20Is against England in February / March, Devine looted 97 of 54 and 74 of 44 on a national day for Wellington, before making 17 in the opening T20I loss to Australia in Hamilton. last Sunday. .
That prompted former player and selector Kirsty Bond to suggest that Devine, who has played 111 ODI and 98 T20I, should step down from the captaincy to focus more on his hitting.
Devine was named interim captain in January last year when Amy Satterthwaite went on maternity leave, and NZC announced in July that she would maintain the leadership, despite Satterthwaite’s return.
Vice Captain Satterthwaite will now continue to lead the team during the Rose Bowl series, and Carter has yet to make any decisions about Devine’s future at the helm.
Fiona Goodall / Getty Images
Amy Satterthwaite, right, shares the spoils of the T20I with Australia’s Meg Lanning, and will continue to lead the Whiter Ferns in the absence of Sophie Devine.
“She was my captaincy pick, and we’ll get to that later, but so far, the most important thing is that we familiarize ourselves with this series,” he said.
“Amy did a fantastic job in the last two Q20s and brings a lot of experience and knowledge to the role.
As for who replaces Devine on the team, Carter said the coaching group would meet Saturday afternoon to decide that.
Since SUV Frankie Mackay was also dropped from the series after sustaining a calf injury at Napier, Central Hinds SUV Hannah Rowe and Wellington Blaze SUV Leigh Kasperek will now remain with the team for the entire series. Originally Rowe was selected for the first game and Kasperek for games two and three.
The Rose Bowl, which New Zealand has not won since 1998-99, will be played at Bay Oval on Mt Maunganui, with game one on Sunday, game two on Wednesday and game three next Saturday.
