New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has awarded contracts to 17 female cricket players, including 21-year-old Bree Illing and 26-year-old Bella James, who received their first NZC contracts. Hayley Jensen and Sophie Devine’s contract gaps were replaced by the pair, who are presently on tour in England with New Zealand A.
Devine will say goodbye to the ODI format after participating in the 50-over World Cup in India and Sri Lanka later this year, while Jensen retired earlier this year. The latter has made the decision to sign a casual playing contract to continue playing T20Is for the White Ferns.
This summer, Bree Illing, a left-arm swing bowler from Auckland, made her debut against Sri Lanka in both ODI and T20I matches.
With an average of 21, she was Auckland’s top wicket-taker in domestic cricket the previous season. James, meanwhile, signed a contract after she helped Otago win another Hallyburton Johnstone (HBJ) Shield title with her reliable batting efforts. In December 2024 and March 2025, respectively, she made her ODI and T20I debuts against Australia.
Ben Sawyer, the head coach of the New Zealand women’s team, shared his thoughts on the two gifted cricket players. He emphasised Illing’s great performances during the series against Sri Lanka, where she got rid of Chamari Athapaththu a few times. Sawyer, meanwhile, stated that James has what it takes to be successful on the international scene, citing her performances versus Australia the previous season.
“Bree’s series versus Sri Lanka was exceptional. ESPNcricinfo cited Sawyer as saying, “She’s ready for international cricket to show up the way she did against a world-class batter like Chamari Athapaththu.”
“Bella had a fantastic debut series against Australia last year and has been a reliable performer at the domestic level. She possesses the skills that we think will help her flourish on a global scale,” he continued.
All-rounders Amelia Kerr and Hannah Rowe, bowlers Eden Carson, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Bree Illing, Molly Penfold, and Lea Tahuhu, and batters Suzie Bates, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Georgia Plimmer, Izzy Gaze, Bella James, and Polly Inglis are on the complete list of central contracts, which totals 17.
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