Four players return to the White Ferns setup as New Zealand prepare for three T20Is at North Sydney Oval.
New Zealand have named a 15-player squad for a three-match T20I series against Australia, with all fixtures to be held at North Sydney Oval. The series is the White Ferns' first international assignment of the 2026-27 season and will also help the side build towards the 2027 ICC Women's Champions Trophy, which will be held in India for the first time.
The White Ferns' official X account confirmed the squad, with Amelia Kerr named as captain. New Zealand retained 11 players who featured in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup earlier this year, while four players have been brought back into the setup.
The squad departs for Australia on October 12 and will face a Governor General's XI in a warm-up fixture on October 15 before the T20I series gets underway. Australia, for their part, will play a three-match ODI series against Bangladesh in Brisbane before hosting New Zealand in Sydney.
Eden Carson, Molly Penfold, Hannah Rowe and Bella James are the four players recalled. Carson is an off-spinner, while Penfold and Rowe are pace bowlers. James is a batter who has played one T20I for New Zealand, in March 2025. Both Rowe and James were part of the New Zealand A side that toured Sri Lanka in May.
The returns of Penfold and Rowe come in the wake of the retirements of Sophie Devine and Lea Tahuhu. James has been added to bolster the batting following Suzie Bates' retirement. Wicketkeeper-batter Izzy Gaze is absent after undergoing surgery on a thumb injury, with Polly Inglis set to take the gloves. Gaze is targeting a return to play in early 2027.
"We're excited to welcome back Eden, Hannah, Molly, and Bella. There's a balance of experience and future-focus in this squad and it's going to be a chance for the group to test themselves against a quality side. Competing against the best in the world is always going to be a challenge, but it also provides a lot of opportunities to learn and strengthen skillsets within that," Dean Brownlie, New Zealand’s batting coach, was quoted as saying by Zee News.
When the two sides last met in September 2024, Australia won the T20I series 3-0, with Ashleigh Gardner named Player of the Series.
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New Zealand's squad for the T20I series vs Australia 2026: Amelia Kerr (C), Eden Carson, Flora Devonshire, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Bree Illing, Polly Inglis, Bella James, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Nensi Patel, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Izzy Sharp.