Sophie Devine, women’s captain of New Zealand, will not partake in the series against Sri Lanka set for March, prioritizing her well-being, the cricket board announced on Monday. The announcement comes on the heels of Devine recently withdrawing from the Super Smash and 2025 Women’s Premier League on professional advice. Liz Green, Head of Women’s High Performance with NZC, outlined the importance of player welfare. “We fully support Sophie’s decision not to play in the series that is round the corner,” Green said.
“Player welfare is-is our highest priority-and it is important for Sophie to feel fit and well before returning to professional cricket,” said Green.
The series with Sri Lanka kicks off on March 4 for the White Ferns and will have three ODIs and two T20Is.
As captain, Sophie Devine helped the White Ferns to become the champions of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE last October.
The all-rounderdots is just short of 3990 runs in Women’s ODIs, averaging 31.66 with the bat in international 50-over cricket.
After helping New Zealand win the T20 World Cup in October 2024, Devine has featured in the ODIs against India, played in the WBBL for Perth Scorchers, and played the ODI series against Australia in late December.
Devine, who was part of RCB’s title-winning effort in 2024, was retained before the 2025 auction. In 2024, she scored 136 runs and took six wickets in ten matches.
RCB roped in Heather Graham as Devine’s replacement after her withdrawal from WPL 2025.
