Bree Illing, Bella James earn maiden NZ central contracts

NEW ZEALAND CRICKET

Bree Illing, Bella James earn maiden NZ central contracts

by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on

Bree Illing has featured in 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is © Getty

Left-arm seamer Bree Illing and batter Bella James are the two new entrants in the New Zealand Women's central contracts list, as confirmed by New Zealand Cricket on Wednesday (June 18). They will be filling the vacancies left by the retired Hayley Jensen and current skipper Sophie Devine - who has opted for a casual playing agreement as revealed yesterday.

Illing made her domestic debut in 2022 and is already her domestic side's leading wicket-taker. The 21-year-old has picked 29 wickets across formats this season. Her impressive run resulted in her making her international debut in March this year in both ODIs and T20Is where she combined picked up six wickets in six games against Sri Lanka.

James also made her international debut recently, playing a couple of ODIs against Australia in December last year and an ODI against the same opposition in March this year. However, unlike Illing, James made her domestic debut at just 16 and had to wait a long time to play her first international fixture.

"Bree had an outstanding series against Sri Lanka," head coach Ben Sawyer said. "To show up the way she did against a world class batter like Chamari shows she's ready for international cricket. Bella's been a consistent performer at the domestic level and had a great debut series against Australia last year."

List of players centrally contracted for 2025-26 - Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Lauren Down, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Bree Illing, Polly Inglis, Bella James, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Melie Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu

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