Wellington Blaze strengthened by return of international stars

Wellington Blaze will be strengthened by the return of their international stars for the opening round of their Super Smash campaign scheduled to begin in Lincoln on Friday (December 13). The defending champions, will be keen to use their experience to complete a rare three-peat.

The 12-member squad boasts of some of the finest players in the country including the likes of Sophie Devine, Amelia Kerr, Maddy Green and Rachel Priest. The quartet are all coming off successful stints in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia.

While Devine had a memorable tournament where she was named the player of the tournament scoring 764 runs and picking up 19 wickets for Adelaide Strikers, she was unable to get her team over the line in the final. On the other hand, Kerr and Green, who both turned out for Brisbane Heat, enjoyed a championship-winning campaign in which they made useful contributions throughout the tournament.

Finally, Rachel Priest, who earned a central contract after close to two years, will also strengthen the unit. Although she didn't enjoy an overly successful stint with Sydney Thunder in the WBBL, she did manage 296 runs with a single half-century, to finish as the team's second highest run-getter of the season.

Aside from these inclusions, Blaze also enjoy the experience of Liz Green-Perry and Thamsyn Newton who have also played at the international level. They will be assisted by allrounder Jess Kerr, opener Rebecca Burns and leg- spinner Deanna Doughty will look to build on their strong performances from last year.

Blaze open their campaign with a game against Otago Sparks on Friday, following which they will play a double header at the Hagley Oval on Sunday (December 15).

Squad:

Sophie Devine (c), Rebecca Burns, Deanna Doughty, Maddy Green, Liz Green-Perry, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Jess McFadyen, Beth Molony, Thamsyn Newton, Rachel Priest.