FORMER Australia and NSW captain Alex Blackwell is continuing her on-field leadership roles after being named the captain of the Governor-General’s XI for this season.

Blackwell retired from international and state duties last summer, having played 251 games across all three formats for her country, as well as being a part of 14 Women's National Cricket League titles with New South Wales.

She walked away at the end of last season with 5,250 international runs to her name, 444 in Tests, 3,492 in ODIs and 1,314 in T20Is.

She was a part of Australia’s World Cup wins in 2005 and 2013 and captained Australia to its first World T20 title in the Caribbean in 2010, while also being part of the team that claimed victory in 2012 and 2014.

The Governor-General’s XI match – inspired by the traditional Prime Minister’s XI game – pits some of the best young female players in Australia against a touring team.

Now in its fourth year, this summer’s GG's XI match will be a 50-over fixture against New Zealand at Drummoyne Oval on Thursday, February 28.

The match will be played in between the second and third One-Day Internationals of the Commonwealth Bank Women's International Series against New Zealand, and will be broadcast live on Fox Cricket.