Sophie Devine joins search for speed demons

Detailed summary

Former White Ferns captain Sophie Devine has joined the search for New Zealand's fastest young bowlers. Devine is joining forces with Black Cap Lockie Ferguson as the women's…

Former White Ferns captain Sophie Devine has joined the search for New Zealand's fastest young bowlers.

Devine is joining forces with Black Cap Lockie Ferguson as the women's ambassador for the NZC Youth Fast Bowling Challenge.

Among the most successful women's cricketers of all time, Devine represented New Zealand on 317 occasions across both formats, claiming 241 wickets.

She captained New Zealand 120 times, leading her country to a historic ICC Women's T20 World Cup title in 2024.

Primarily known for her swing and accuracy with the ball, Devine was more than capable of cranking up the pace, particularly early in her career where she reached speeds in excess of 120km/h.

Devine said she was excited to help find Aotearoa's next generation of fast bowlers.

"It provides a real point of difference being able to bowl at speeds that makes the batter uncomfortable, so as a captain, having someone who can bowl really quick is a nice tool to have up your sleeve."

Devine said the competition was a great platform for players to showcase their raw pace.

"We've got some really exciting young fast bowlers in our pathway already and I'm hoping we'll find a few more through this competition over the next month. We want to find the girls who love bowling fast and give them the support to take it as far as they can."

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