With the Rose Bowl trophy on the line, who will get off to a winning start?

Date: February 22, 2019



Venue: WACA, Perth



The White Ferns and Southern Stars will be finishing their final preparations for the Rose Bowl series, ahead of the series opener. The hosts will be eager to get their campaign off to a winning start in their bid to retain the coveted Rose Bowl trophy, that they have held on to since 2000. The Kiwis on the other hand, will be determined to take the trophy back with them across the Tasman, and will want to start off their tour on a positive note. Who will triumph?



 



Players to Watch Out for



Alyssa Healy (Australia)



Healy had been in exceptional form throughout 2018, which continued into 2019 in the WBBL. She will be keen to continue her purple patch and ripping apart the White Ferns bowling attack. The Belinda Clark medalist's role will not only be to attack at the top of the order, but also be a gun behind the stumps. By breaking the Guiness World Record for the 'highest catch of a cricket ball' in the swirling conditions at the MCG recently, Healy has shown just why she is one of the best wicketkeepers in the world, and Australia will be counting on her to show off her catching skills against their trans-Tasman rivals too.



Lea Tahuhu (New Zealand)



Currently one of the fastest bowlers in the women's game, Tahuhu will be a real threat to the Australian line-up in the seam-friendly conditions at the WACA. The pitch facilitates pace bowlers by providing extra bounce. This would make Tahuhu a real danger on it, meaning with her opening the bowling, New Zealand could make early inroads to their opponents' batting unit, exerting pressure on them from the get-go. Given the immense depth in Australia's batting, early wickets will be exactly what New Zealand need.



 



Who Said What



"We haven't won it (Rose Bowl series) for a while but that adds the extra special factor to it, that if we could be the team to get up and win it, it would be pretty exciting." - New Zealand captain, Amy Satterthwaite



"We want to finish our season really well too, we've had a pretty good little period, so it'd be nice to finish off the Australia summer with a trophy."- Australia vice-captain, Rachael Haynes



 



Probable XI



Australia: Alyssa Healy (wk), Rachael Haynes (vc), Meg Lanning (c), Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner, Elyse Villani, Jess Jonassen, Georgia Wareham, Megan Schutt, Lauren Cheatle



New Zealand: Suzie Bates, Lauren Down, Sophie Devine, Amy Satterthwaite (c), Katie Martin (wk), Maddy Green, Amelia Kerr, Leigh Kasperek, Anna Peterson, Lea Tahuhu, Hannah Rowe