England women to travel to New Zealand for first-ever inbound A tour, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said on Friday. The visit will consist of three T20s and three 50-over matches across multiple venues in the South Island and will run concurrently with the T20I and ODI series in March.
New Zealand Cricket’s Head of Women’s High Performance Liz Green, said the A series was part of ongoing efforts to bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket.
"Welcoming a strong England A team this summer aligns with our aim to build an aspirational pathway programme for our best female players,” said Green. "The recently-completed women’s Ashes series showed off the depth and strength of the English playing programme and it’s exciting to have their best players coming to our shores this summer.
"A tours provide opportunities for more players to test themselves at that next level, see what international cricket looks like and how they compare.
"It’s going to be challenging as England is a really strong side, but it’s a great opportunity for those aspiring to be future White Ferms.”
Green said the opportunity to be selected for this tour would motivate domestic players during the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield and Super Smash campaigns.
"Having the carrot of playing against international opposition at the end of the summer will certainly add another dimension to the domestic season."
Green said the series would build on the momentum of last summer’s re-introduced women’s North v South T20 series.
"The uptake of the North v South series was awesome and it was especially great to see the way in which the players embraced the rivalry and the opportunity to test themselves.
"The England A tour will be another extension of this and we aim to continue to offer these development series to our next tier of players each season," he said.
New Zealand A v England A schedule
Sat 16 March – 1st T20, Sir John Davies Oval, 1pm
Sun 17 March – 2nd T20, Sir John Davies Oval, 1pm
Wed 20 March – 3rd T20, Sir John Davies Oval, 1pm
Sat 23 March – 1st 50-over, University of Otago Oval, 11am
Thu 28 March – 2nd 50-over, Saxton Oval, 11am
Also Read: LIVE ScoreSat 30 March – 3rd 50-over, Saxton Oval, 11am
