Rachel Priest back among contracted New Zealand cricketers

Priest enjoyed a strong season with the bat for the Western Storm in Women's Super League, 2019. © Getty

Experienced keeper-batter Rachel Priest is back among the list of contracted New Zealand Women cricketers for the 2019-20 season. Priest, 34, last represented the White Ferns at the 2017 World Cup in England and was left out thereafter with then coach Haidee Tiffen citing the player's poor fitness as reason for the axing.

A veteran of 154 international appearances, Priest has forged her way back into the national team reckoning with her impressive show in this year's Women's Super League T20 in England, finishing fourth in the tournament's run charts with 365 runs at a strike-rate of 145 as her team, Western Storm, clinched the title.

Priest has been joined in the contract list by off-spinner Anna Peterson, also omitted last year, while seamer Rosemary Mair and batter Lauren Down are first-time recipients of the national contract. Down and Mair both toured Australia with the White Ferns earlier this year.

"I want to bowl fast, so my training will be centered around that and working with bowling coach Jacob Oram to get the best out of my action," Mair said. "I'm excited for what's ahead and this contract gives me the resources and time to really commit and focus my energy on cricket."

Regular captain Amy Sattherthwaite will remain contracted but won't play this summer having already confirmed that she is expecting her first child with wife and teammate Lea Tahuhu. New Zealand's next assignment is in January when they host South Africa for a full series in their build-up to the T20 World Cup. New head coach Bob Carter and the management team are yet to appoint a new captain.

Contracted Players for 2019-20: Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Sophie Devine, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Holly Huddleston, Hayley Jensen, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Katie Perkins, Anna Peterson, Rachel Priest, Hannah Rowe, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu