New Zealand name Sophie Devine as permanent skipper

Devine took up the White Ferns captaincy in an interim capacity last season. She was later offered the captaincy on a full-time basis.

Auckland:New Zealand Cricket on Thursday appointed Sophie Devine as their permanent captain with Amy Satterthwaite being named the vice-captain following her return from maternity leave.

Devine took up the White Ferns captaincy in an interim capacity last season. She was later offered the captaincy on a full-time basis.

Satterthwaite will be returning to the New Zealand squad after maternity leave and will form a key part of the leadership group as the teamwork towards the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2021 hosted in New Zealand early next year.

Amy Satterthwaite

"It is a huge honour and privilege to be awarded the White Ferns captaincy. I thoroughly enjoyed my time as captain over the past season. It was challenging results-wise at times. I feel we are moving in the right direction as a team, both with our cricket and our team culture," Devine said in an official statement.

"I am very much looking forward to working with Amy who has an exceptional cricketing brain and I feel we can form a strong leadership partnership in combination with a well-established leadership group," she added.

Satterthwaite on her part said being the skipper of the White Ferns was a great privilege.

"I'm looking forward to returning to international cricket and doing my best to support Sophie and the team," said Satterthwaite.

White Ferns head coach Bob Carter has been impressed with the way Devine has taken the captaincy in her stride over the past season.

"Sophie is a strong leader, she has her own style and knows what she wants from herself and the team," Carter said.

The process undertaken by NZC acknowledged from the outset that Satterthwaite, having taken maternity leave, remained the incumbent captain.

Devine will assume the role of full-time captain immediately with the White Ferns preparing for split-squad training camps starting in Lincoln next week.