Leigh Kasperek

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Leigh Kasperek
2020 ICC W T20 WC NZ v SL 02-22 Kasperek (01).jpg
Kasperek bowling for New Zealand during the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup
Personal information
Full nameLeigh Meghan Kasperek
Born (1992-02-15) 15 February 1992 (age 29)
Edinburgh, Scotland
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm off break
RoleBowling all-rounder
International information
National sides
ODI debut (cap 133)28 June 2015 
New Zealand v India
Last ODI10 April 2021 
New Zealand v Australia
T20I debut (cap 46)11 July 2015 
New Zealand v India
Last T20I7 March 2021 
New Zealand v England
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2011/12Western Australia
2012–2013Essex
2012/13Wellington
2013/14–2018/19Otago
2018–2019Yorkshire
2019Yorkshire Diamonds
2019/20–presentWellington
2020Velocity
Career statistics
Competition WODI WT20I
Matches 34 43
Runs scored 274 104
Batting average 19.57 6.50
100s/50s 1/0 0/0
Top score 113 19
Balls bowled 1,688 938
Wickets 57 69
Bowling average 19.33 13.92
5 wickets in innings 2 0
10 wickets in match 0 0
Best bowling 6/46 4/7
Catches/stumpings 9/– 11/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 10 April 2021

Leigh Meghan Kasperek (born 15 February 1992) is a Scottish cricketer who plays internationally for the New Zealand national team. She previously played for the Scottish national side, but switched to New Zealand in order to play at a higher level.[1]

Scotland career[]

Born in Edinburgh, Kasperek made her senior national debut at the age of 15, playing for Scotland against English county sides in the 2007 County Challenge Cup.[2] Her international debut came later in the year, when she appeared against Ireland and the Netherlands at the European Championship.[3] Early in 2008, Kasperek was selected in Scotland's squad for the 2008 World Cup Qualifier in South Africa. She went on to play in four out of a possible five matches, but had little success, scoring only four runs and failing to take a wicket from her ten overs, while conceding 57 runs.[4]

Over the next few years, Kasperek firmly established herself as one of Scotland's leading all-rounders. One of her first notable performances came against Hampshire in the 2009 edition of the County Championship, when she took 3/2 from six overs to help bowl the side out for 76.[5] Later in the year, against the Netherlands at the 2009 European Championship, she scored a maiden half-century for Scotland, making 58 from 106 balls (including a 135-run partnership with Kari Anderson).[6] During the 2010 County Championship season, Kasperek scored 218 runs from her ten matches, behind only Kathryn White for Scotland.[7] Her best performance was an innings of 68 against Hampshire, which was her only half-century.[8]

Overseas experience[]

For the 2011–12 season, Kasperek signed for the Western Fury, a team in Australia's Women's National Cricket League (WNCL), also playing club cricket for Midland-Guildford.[9][10] For the 2012 County Championship season, she switched from Scotland to Essex, although later in the year she did play one final international tournament, the European Twenty20 Qualifier in Ireland.[2] Having been named Essex's player of the year, later in the year Kasperek signed for the Wellington Blaze, which plays in the New Zealand State League.[11]

New Zealand career[]

Kasperek had little success in her first season in New Zealand, with her eight matches yielding only 86 runs and a single wicket. For the 2013–14 season, she switched to the Otago Sparks (based in Dunedin), and went on to score two half-centuries. Kasperek impressed more with her bowling, taking 18 wickets to finish as the competition's leading wicket-taker,[12] including figures of 6/8 in one match against Canterbury.[13] The next season, she returned 15 wickets to be Otago's leading wicket taker and equal-fourth in the competition, but also lifted her batting, scoring 313 runs to place behind only Suzie Bates for Otago (and tenth in the competition).[14]

After three seasons in the New Zealand domestic competition, Kasperek met the ICC qualifications for representing the national team, although that had not been a specific goal of hers when she first moved there.[1] In May 2015, she was unexpectedly named in the squad for the 2015 tour of India.[15] Kasperek went on to play in every game on the tour, which comprised five One Day International (ODI) and three Twenty20 International matches.[16][17] On debut in the first ODI, she took 3/39 from 10 overs.[18] Later in 2015, against the touring Sri Lankans, Kasperek took 4/27, her maiden ODI four-wicket haul.[19]

In a Twenty20 International against Australia in February 2016, Kasperek took 4/7 from three overs. Amy Satterthwaite is the only New Zealander to take better figures.[20]

In August 2018, she was awarded a central contract by New Zealand Cricket, following the tours of Ireland and England in the previous months.[21][22] In October 2018, she was named in New Zealand's squad for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies.[23][24] She was the leading wicket-taker for New Zealand in the tournament, with eight dismissals in four matches.[25]

In January 2020, she was named in New Zealand's squad for the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia.[26]

During the 2nd WODI of the Australia tour of New Zealand in 2020-21, Kasperek took all bar one of the seven wickets to fall in the Australian innings,[27] finishing with figures of 6/46 from 10 overs,[27] the 17th best innings figures in Women's ODI history.[28] She finished as the leading wicket taker in the ODI leg of the series with 9 wickets, despite playing only two of the three matches.[29]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Steve Hepburn (13 May 2015). "Cricket: Long and winding road to call-up" – Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Women's miscellaneous matches played by Leigh Kasperek – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  3. ^ Scotland women's matches played by Leigh Kasperek – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  4. ^ Records / ICC Women's World Cup Qualifying Series, 2007/08 - Scotland Women / Minor cricket (one-day/limited overs) / Batting and bowling averages – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  5. ^ Hampshire Women v Scotland Women, LV Women's County Championship 2009 (Division Three) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  6. ^ Netherlands Women v Scotland Women, Women's European Championship 2009 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  7. ^ Batting and fielding for Scotland Women, LV Women's County Championship 2010 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  8. ^ Hampshire Women v Scotland Women, LV Women's County Championship 2010 (Division Three) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  9. ^ (6 October 2011). "Scot Set to Unleash Fury" – WACA. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  10. ^ Women's Australia league matche splayed by Leigh Kasperek Archived 5 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  11. ^ "Leigh Kasperek arrives to help Blaze" – scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  12. ^ Bowling in New Zealand Women's One-Day Competition 2013/14 (ordered by wickets) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  13. ^ Otago Women v Canterbury Women, New Zealand Women's One-Day Competition 2013/14 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  14. ^ Women's limited-overs matches played by Leigh Kasperek – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  15. ^ "Leigh Kasperek included in NZ women squad" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  16. ^ Women's ODI matches played by Leigh Kasperek – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  17. ^ Women's International Twenty20 matches played by Leigh Kasperek – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  18. ^ India Women v New Zealand Women, ICC Women's Championship 2014 to 2016/17 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  19. ^ "Priest ton sets up big New Zealand Women win" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  20. ^ (28 February 2016). "Kasperek's four-for sets up easy win for New Zealand" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  21. ^ "Rachel Priest left out of New Zealand women contracts". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  22. ^ "Four new players included in White Ferns contract list". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  23. ^ "New Zealand women pick spin-heavy squads for Australia T20Is, World T20". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  24. ^ "White Ferns turn to spin in big summer ahead". New Zealand Cricket. Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  25. ^ "ICC Women's World T20, 2018/19 - New Zealand Women: Batting and bowling averages". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  26. ^ "Lea Tahuhu returns to New Zealand squad for T20 World Cup". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  27. ^ Jump up to: a b "Full Scorecard of AUS Women vs NZ Women 2nd ODI 2020/21 - Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  28. ^ "Records | Women's One-Day Internationals | Bowling records | Best figures in an innings | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  29. ^ "Australia Women tour of New Zealand, Australia Women in New Zealand 2020/21 score, Match schedules, fixtures, points table, results, news". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 11 April 2021.

External links[]

Media related to Leigh Kasperek at Wikimedia Commons

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