The women’s North v South T20 series will resume for the first time in more than a decade.
It gets under way at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln this weekend.
The South squad features nine Otago players: Suzie Bates, Emma Black, Caitlin Blakely, Eden Carson, Kate Ebrahim, Olivia Gain, Polly Inglis, Bella James and Felicity Leydon-Davis.
The three-match series has been reintroduced to provide greater playing opportunities for promising female players and will be delivered annually in line with the commitment made in last year’s Master Agreement.
Selection is based on performance and is part of an ongoing effort to develop a women’s A programme.
New Zealand Cricket head of women’s high performance Liz Green, who played in the last North v South tournament in 2010-11, said the re-establishment of the series would provide players with pivotal developmental opportunities.
"We know that increased playing opportunities are crucial for the development of our players, and we intend to grow the North v South series over the coming years to ensure talented players are given opportunities to advance," Green said.
White Ferns Sophie Devine and Melie Kerr were unavailable for selection as they were taking part in the Women’s Premier League, and Hayley Jensen is out with a knee injury from the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
Lea Tahuhu is also unavailable.
The matches will be live-scored and live-streamed.
North-South match
The squads
North: Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Rebecca Burns, Lauren Down, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Leigh Kasperek, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Jess McFadyen, Nensi Patel, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe.
South: Kate Anderson, Sarah Asmussen, Missy Banks, Suzie Bates, Emma Black, Caitlin Blakely, Eden Carson, Kate Ebrahim, Olivia Gain, Claudia Green, Abigail Hotton, Polly Inglis, Bella James, Felicity Leydon-Davis, Gabby Sullivan.
— Staff reporter
