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Otago Sparks top-order batsman Bella James has earned a maiden call-up to the New Zealand squad for the three-match ODI series against Australia in Wellington next week. However, injuries have ruled opener Georgia Plimmer and fast bowler Lea Tahuhu out of the series.
James has represented Otago 137 times across all formats since his debut in 2014 and has been in excellent form in the ongoing one-day competition (for the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield) at home. She is second in the run-scorers list with 293 runs and a strike rate of 85.17 in five innings. His lowest score in these matches is 36 and he has a best score of 101 without going out.
“We are very excited to give Bella her first call-up to international cricket,” Sarah Tsukigawa, the team’s chief selector, said in a press release. “She has been working hard at the national level for many years, and her current form at HBJ shows why she deserves this opportunity. Bella’s ability to hit 360 degrees around the ground with power is a valuable quality.”
Plimmer has suffered a bone stress reaction in her left hip, “ruling her out of cricket until next year”, a New Zealand cricket statement said. The statement added that Tahuhu has suffered a grade two hamstring tear and is “expected to be recovered in early January.”
“We’re gutted not to have Georgia or Lea for this series, but the injuries create opportunities to explore how other players might fit,” Tsukigawa said.
Meanwhile, seamer Rosemary Mair has returned to the ODI squad for the first time since 2022, when she withdrew from the squad that faced England with a back injury.
This is the first time since 2020 that the two sides will compete for the Rose Bowl Trophy, which Australia currently holds.
New Zealand squad for women’s ODI series against Australia
Sophie Devine (captain), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Lauren Down, Isabella Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Bella James, Fran Jonas, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold
