Bernadine recalled for White Fern’s T20 World cup campaign:
New Zealand’s wicket-keeper batter, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, is set to make her comeback for the White Ferns in the upcoming Women’s T20 World cup in South Africa after recovering from RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency Syndrome in Sport). RED-S saw the 29 year old missing out on 2 years of cricket.
Nevertheless, the recovery from the mentioned syndrome means fans will be able to see Bernadine in action again, that too in an event as important as the T20 World cup. The absence from the international cricket arena has not made the keeping-batter lose her class and technical skills of the game as is evident from her recent domestic outings.
Bezuidenhout has struck 191 runs in 4 innings at an average of 63.66 in the ongoing Hallyburton Johnstone Shield, before leaving to join the rest of the World cup squad. Her outings in the Super Smash, too, this edition have been decent. Not to mention that the South Africa-born is a beast behind the wickets and her figures with the willow are just a welcome addition to her prolific glovework.
The coach of White ferns, Ben Sawyer, expressed his pleasure on the return of a player like Bernadine with a lot of international cricket experience.
“Bernie has already shown this season what she can do with both bat and gloves, and we think that her previous international experience will stand her in good stead in this World Cup.”
“She has gone on quite a journey to return to cricket this season and we’re really looking forward to welcoming her back into the WHITE FERNS environment.”
It merits mention here that Bernadine debuted for South Africa in 2014 and played for the African team till 2015, after which she joined the New Zealand White Ferns following a three year stand down period.