Leigh Kasperek

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]

Leigh Kasperek
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
Edinburgh, Scotland
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm off spin
RoleBowling All-Rounder
International information
National sides
ODI debut (cap 133)28 June 2015 
New Zealand v India
Last ODI30 January 2020 
New Zealand v South Africa
T20I debut (cap 46)11 July 2015 
New Zealand v India
Last T20I2 March 2020 
New Zealand v Australia
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2011–2012Western Fury
2012–2013Essex
2012–2013Wellington Blaze
2013–2015Otago Sparks
Career statistics
Competition WODI WT20I
Matches 10 13
Runs scored 47 40
Batting average 23.50 8
100s/50s 0/0 0/0
Top score 21* 15
Balls bowled 432 291
Wickets 16 25
Bowling average 15.06 9.36
5 wickets in innings 0 0
10 wickets in match 0 0
Best bowling 4/27 4/7
Catches/stumpings 3/- 5/-
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 2 March 2020

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]

References
  1. Steve Hepburn (13 May 2015). "Cricket: Long and winding road to call-up" – Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  2. 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 – 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.

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