New Zealand Women's tour to Australia to be played entirely in Brisbane

Allan Border Field will be the venue for all the matches of New Zealand's tour
August 28, 2020

Uncapped legspinner Deanna Doughty has been included in the New Zealand Women's squad for their tour of Australia where all the matches will take place at Allan Border Field in Brisbane to allow for isolation and biosecure protocols.

The three T20Is will now take place on September 26, 27 and 30 followed by three ODIs - which will contest the Rose Bowl series - on October 3, 5 and 7. The original schedule had the T20s at North Sydney Oval followed by the ODIs taken around various venues in Queensland but a hub has now been created to enable to tour to take place.

The squad will undergo a 14-day quarantine when they arrive in Brisbane and on returning to New Zealand there will be 14 days of managed isolation. Those players with WBBL deals will be released to their clubs after the tour.

Leigh Kasperek was unavailable for the tour due to currently being in Scotland and unable to make it back because of travel restrictions. Anna Peterson was unavailable due to personal reasons.

The trip will mark Amy Satterthwaite's return to international cricket following her time away to have her first child. Allrounder Jess Watkin has been recalled for the first time since 2018.

"The team is extremely thankful to all those involved in making this tour a reality," captain Sophie Devine said. "We hope the upcoming ODI and T20I matches can excite and entertain people in what's been a tough time for everyone."

Head coach Bob Carter said that players based in Auckland, which has been under tighter restrictions following a Covid-19 outbreak, have already been tested and the rest of the squad will be tested 72 hours before flying to Brisbane on September 9.

"We welcome Dee and Jess into the environment and we're looking forward to working with them over an extended tour period," Carter said. "We are also thrilled to have Amy back fit and ready to play. She has a proven record at the top of the order and has scored heavily against Australia in the past so her experience will be invaluable.

"The team has been working hard in winter camps over the past few months and it will be good to put what we've learnt in those sessions into practice against a top quality opposition like Australia.

"We have a slightly bigger squad for this tour given the strict rules and regulations in the current climate. However, the extra time together will be beneficial for the group and their development as cricketers."

The series will be the second top-level contest in the women's game since the pandemic shut down sport in March, just a few days after the T20 World Cup at the MCG watched by more than 86,000 people, with the England-West Indies series due to start a few days earlier.

New Zealand squad Sophie Devine (capt), Suzie Bates, Natalie Dodd, Deanna Doughty, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Holly Huddleston, Hayley Jensen, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Katie Perkins, Hannah Rowe, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu, Jess Watkin

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