Photo Credit: New Zealand Cricket
Sophie Devine will miss the start of the Wellington Blaze’s Dream11 Super Smash season.
NZC, in conjunction with Cricket Wellington, has made the decision to give Devine a wellbeing break following a heavy workload over the past 12 months.
Devine will be unavailable for the Blaze for the first half of the campaign to allow her time to rest and freshen up, before a decision is made on her involvement in the remainder of the tournament.
NZC Head of Women’s High Performance Liz Green said the decision wasn’t an easy one, but the player’s wellbeing had to be put first.
“Our players’ mental and physical wellbeing is always our number one priority and it’s clear Sophie simply needs a break,” said Green.
“2024 is shaping as another big year for the WHITE FERNS with England arriving later in the summer and the ICC T20 World Cup on the horizon.
“Sophie’s understandably disappointed but we’re adamant she needs this break to re-charge her batteries and be well-prepared for the upcoming challenges.”
The Wellington Blaze and Firebirds open their Super Smash campaigns at home on Thursday at the Cello Basin Reserve against the Otago Sparks and Volts from 12:30pm and 4pm respectively, live on TVNZ+ and TVNZ Duke.
Name of Author: New Zealand Cricket
The New Zealand national cricket team, known as the Black Caps, made their Test debut in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth nation to play Test cricket. After waiting 26 years for their first Test win against the West Indies in 1956, they also played their first ODI in 1972–73 against Pakistan. New Zealand are the inaugural World Test Championship champions (2021) and have won the ICC Champions Trophy (2000). They have reached the Cricket World Cup final twice and the T20 World Cup final once.
