Two debutantes named for White Ferns’ northern tour

There are two debuts in the offing on the White Ferns’ winter tour, with Central Hinds teenager Jess Watkin and Northern Spirit wicketkeeper Bernadine Bezuidenhout named for the trip to England and Ireland.

The duo have been included in a 15-strong squad bound for the northern hemisphere in June, where they will play one Twenty20 and three ODIs against Ireland, a T20 tri-series with South Africa and England, before three ODIs against world champions England.

White Ferns selector Kirsty Bond said both players had been on the radar of her and coach Haidee Tiffen for a while, and their selections were with an eye to November’s World T20 in the West Indies.

‘‘Jess and Bernadine are tremendous talents with lots of potential,’’ Bond said.

‘‘They’re aggressive players who possess a broad skill-set and that allows them to adapt to changing game situations quickly.

‘‘The women’s game is evolving all the time and we feel we need players who will suit the positive and attacking brand of cricket the White Ferns want to play.’’

Watkin, 19, has won the Hinds Player of the Year awards for the past two seasons and scored a spectacular double century at the national under-21 tournament late last year.

‘‘She’s an explosive batter who hits the ball hard and is a more than useful off-spin option, so she offers us great versatility. We’ve also been impressed by the work she’s done on her fitness and physical conditioning over the past season,’’ Bond said.

Bezuidenhout, a former South African international, became available for New Zealand selection in March after a three-year international stand-down, and Bond said they were keen to get the 24-year-old into the environment.