Wellington Blaze bowler Jess Kerr has been rewarded for a stellar 2019-20 season with her first central WHITE FERNS contract.

The 22-year-old joins fellow Blaze teammates Sophie Devine, Maddy Green, Amelia Kerr and Leigh Kasperek on the 17-strong contracted list announced today by New Zealand Cricket.

Kerr had a breakthrough 2019-20 summer topping the Dream11 Super Smash wicket-taker charts before debuting for the WHITE FERNS against South Africa and earning selection for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia.

Kerr is one of two new additions to the list, with Central Hinds wicketkeeper/batswoman Natalie Dodd also offered her first international contract.

Of the players centrally contracted during the previous year, Bernadine Bezuidenhout and Blaze wicketkeeper/batswoman Rachel Priest did not receive offers for the coming season. 

WHITE FERNS head coach Bob Carter said Kerr and Dodd fully deserved their new contract offers. 

“It’s an acknowledgment of hard work and perseverance from both Jess and Natalie, culminating in a fantastic opportunity ahead of them,” he said.

“Jess was an excellent addition to the group last season and impressed the coaching staff with her work ethic and commitment. We’re looking forward to her developing her game over the next 12 months.

“Natalie has impressed over several seasons at domestic level having been in the top echelon of run scorers while also showing her ability with the gloves. We see this as an opportunity to work on her skills and hopefully build on an international career that started many years ago.

“I’m happy the majority of our group can remain stable as we look for continual improvement and application from our players. We have an experienced core of WHITE FERNS and want to ensure our younger, less experienced players have the chance to learn from them over the next 12 months.” 

As part of the formal contracting procedure, the NZCPA was consulted and agreed the process, as outlined in the Women’s Master Agreement, had been correctly followed.

Article added: Tuesday 02 June 2020