Online Reporter
Brandon Moyo, Zimpapers Sports Hub
EXPERIENCED White Ferns star Suzie Bates will miss Zimbabwe’s landmark tour of New Zealand after being sidelined by a quadricep injury that rules her out of the home series against the Lady Chevrons in February and March next year.
The 38-year-old has been left facing an extended spell on the sidelines, with the injury also forcing her to miss the remainder of Otago’s domestic home summer. Bates is expected to be out of action for around three months.
She picked up the injury last month while fielding for Otago during the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield, New Zealand women’s domestic one-day competition. Scans later confirmed the severity of the tear, with medical staff advising a lengthy rehabilitation period. The setback adds to New Zealand’s growing injury concerns, coming weeks after Eden Carson was ruled out for an even longer stretch with an elbow injury.
“I am gutted to be missing out this summer, I was really looking forward to another season with the (Otago) Sparks, especially the Super Smash. I am determined to get back on the field with the White Ferns in March, so that’ll be my focus for now,” said Bates in a statement from New Zealand Cricket.
The Lady Chevrons are set to make history on the tour, marking their debut appearance in the ICC Women’s Championship. Zimbabwe Women will face New Zealand Women in a three-match One-Day International series, scheduled for March 5, 8, and 11 at the University of Otago Oval in Dunedin.
Those fixtures fall under the 2025 to 2029 cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship.
Before the ODIs, the two sides will meet in a three-match T20 International series on February 25, 27, and March 1 at Seddon Park in Hamilton. The shorter format series is expected to give the visitors valuable time to adjust to local conditions ahead of their championship bow.
Zimbabwe Women earned a place in the elite global competition for the first time after the ICC expanded the Women’s Championship from 10 to 11 teams in November 2024.
Now in its fourth edition, the ICC Women’s Championship serves as the main qualification route to the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2029. Under the current cycle, each of the 11 teams will contest eight three-match ODI series, split evenly between home and away assignments.
The ICC Future Tours Programme shows Zimbabwe Women travelling to face New Zealand Women, India Women, Bangladesh Women and Pakistan Women. They will host South Africa Women, West Indies Women, Sri Lanka Women and Ireland Women during the same cycle. — @brandon_malvin
