Bella James and Bree Illing earn their first contracts in New Zealand

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) gave its first central contracts to Otago batter Bella James and Auckland left-arm seamer Bree Illing.

Hayley Jensen and Sophie Devine’s contract gaps were filled by the two, who are presently on tour in England with New Zealand. A. Devine, who announced her ODI retirement following the upcoming World Cup, has chosen to play on a recreational basis, while Jensen recently retired.



This summer, Illing, a 21-year-old swing bowler, made her ODI and T20I debut against Sri Lanka. With an average of 21, she was Auckland’s top wicket-taker in domestic cricket the previous season. James signed a contract after helping Otago win another Hallyburton Johnstone (HBJ) Shield with her batting prowess. In December 2024, she made her ODI debut, and in March 2025, she made her T20I debut against Australia.

When playing Sri Lanka, Bree had an outstanding series. She is ready for international cricket, according to New Zealand women’s head coach Ben Sawyer, who praised her for her performance against a top-tier batsman like Chamari Athapaththu. Last year, Bella had an outstanding debut series against Australia and has been a reliable performer at the local level. We feel she holds the competences necessary to succeed on an international level.


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