Lea Tahuhu, Maddy Green added to the New Zealand squad for Commonwealth Games

New Zealand have announced their squad for the Commonwealth Games, where Lauren Down and Jess Kerr have been ruled out of the mega event that will be played in Birmingham, with Lea Tahuhu and Claudia Green named as their respective replacements. While Down asked for the time away from the game in order to prioritise her well-being, Kerr couldn't recover from a foot injury in time to be in the team for the Games.

However, Kerr sustained an injury on her foot in the team's final ICC Women's Cricket World Cup match against Pakistan, and, while she has recovered and is back training, the timeline didn't match with the Games' fixtures as well. Meanwhile, the pace bowler is looking forward to returning to international cricket in time for the White Ferns tour of the West Indies in September this year.

On the other hand, Lea Tahuhu missed out on a central contract last month, but she has been called up on the strength she offers as the veteran pace bowler. Meanwhile, Green toured England with the team last season, and she has also attended several White Ferns camps and was seen as a like-for-like replacement for Jess Kerr as well. And, it will be interesting to see how they will perform in the marquee event.

"Our first and main priority is ensuring both Lauren and Jess are looked after - it's never easy missing cricket tours," said head coach Ben Sawyer. "We've ensured Lauren has the support she needs and hope she'll be able to join us again soon. We thought Jess would recover in time to take the field in Birmingham, and while this has not transpired, the signs are good for an international return for the West Indies tour in September."

He continued: "Lea is a familiar face, so will be able to hit the ground running at training camp next week. We've previously said it's important not to confuse contracting with selection, and this is a good example of why. Lea offers a genuine pace and bounce with the ball, and her ability with the bat gives us options. Claudia has a similar skill-set to Jess so fits nicely into the squad makeup. Her ability to swing the ball is an exciting aspect of her game, and we look forward to having her on tour in England."

However, New Zealand Women have a training camp in Lincoln next week before they depart for England on July 12. They will play warm-up fixtures prior to the Commonwealth Games that are due to begin on Thursday (July 28) and will run all the way until Monday (August 8) as well.