Due to a broken toe, fast bowler Jess Kerr will miss the next New Zealand tour to Sri Lanka. Kerr was struck in the toe last Monday while striking in the cages; later checks uncovered a fracture. She now needs up to six weeks in counselling. The authorities have named Leigh Kasperek as the replacement for Kerr.
It is always disappointing to get an injury so close to leaving on a tour. Ben Sawyer said, head coach of the New Zealand women’s team. We will miss having Jess on this challenging tour as he’s a vital component of both of our bowling teams.
Sawyer continued, “Jess has put in tremendous effort over the winter. We were eager to witness her performance in unfamiliar conditions. However, we are fully confident that she will recover and prepare herself for our next challenge after Sri Lanka.
Since New Zealand’s visit to England in 2021, Kasperek, who will play there, is their first choice. In 39 ODIs and 46 T20Is, she had previously collected 65 and 75 wickets, respectively. With her T20I total, she is second among New Zealand’s top T20I wicket-takers of every era. Kasperek has a track record of winning against the Wellington Blaze in domestic matches.
Despite the challenging 18 months Leigh has faced after the World Cup, Sawyer states that we have always maintained an interest in Leigh.Since Eden Carson and Fran Jonas have consistently played proficiently and since the spin positions likely faced the most intense rivalry on our team, she hasn’t played.
Leigh, Fran, Eden, and Melie (Kerr) helped us have good depth in our spin bowling stocks, which is something we would like to have at all positions in a perfect world. Leigh’s extensive global experience is an excellent asset to the team, and if given the chance, I have no doubt that she would be a success in Sri Lanka. Sawyer said.
The New Zealand women’s team, which recently finished a training camp at the NZC High Performance Centre in Lincoln, will leave for Sri Lanka on Thursday.
