Silver-Holmes and Sutherland along with eight other WBBL stars selected for Australia’s Under-19 tour of New Zealand

^th March.

The tour consists of three 50 over matches and one Twenty20.  It is only the second time that the Australian Under 19 team is touring to New Zealand. Defeating the emerging teams from South Africa and England in a tri-series in South Africa last year, the team has shown a great potential and would be a start to an interesting tour.

Squad: Isabelle Afaras, Darcie Brown, Stella Campbell, Maddy Darke, Hannah Darlington, Josephine Dooley, Nicole Faltum, Charli Knott, Phoebe Litchfield, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Courtney Sippel, Annabel Sutherland, Rachel Trenaman, Tahlia Wilson

The Australian Under 19 team will be coached by  Australia Women’s Team Assistant Coach, Shelley Nitschke  and the Assistant Coaches will be Australia High Performance Coach and former player, Leah Poulton and  Queensland Pathway Manager and former Queensland player Jude Coleman.

This squad has been selected after the conclusion of the Cricket Australia Under 18 National Championships in Ballarat last night. Coach Shelly Nitschke said:

“The selectors have chosen a really exciting and talented group of players that I’m really looking forward to working with, and hopefully they can benefit from the experience of playing in foreign conditions and against an opposition most of them are yet to face."

“With the additional opportunities young players are now being exposed to, we’re seeing them develop at a much quicker rate, with over half the squad holding WBBL contracts this season and quickly becoming household names."

“There’s players like Hayley Silver-Holmes who became the youngest player to make their WBBL debut this summer at just 15, Rachel Trenaman, Josie Dooley, Nicole Faltum and Annabel Sutherland who have stepped up to domestic cricket without a hitch, with plenty of others knocking on the door. I think that’s proof that the system is doing its job in developing the next generation of players who are ready to take that next step.”

Australia Under 19 Tour of New Zealand Schedule

12 March, New Zealand Emerging v Australia Under 19’s, Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln (50-overs)

14 March, New Zealand Emerging v Australia Under 19’s, Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln (50-overs)

16 March, New Zealand Emerging v Australia Under 19’s, Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln (50-overs)

17 March, New Zealand Emerging v Australia Under 19’s, Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln (T20)