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Caitlin Bassett has been retained as the Diamonds captain for the opening match of the Constellation Cup despite coach Stacey Marinkovich s leadership rotation policy.
Bassett s future as the leader of the team was thrown into doubt after Marinkovich opted to go for a squad leadership approach as opposed to having a full-time skipper.
Marinkovich s rotating captaincy policy has attracted plenty of criticism, particularly from her predecessor Lisa Alexander, as the coach insisted that it wasn t a way to ease Bassett out of the team.
However, the decision to name Bassett the captain for Game 1 of the Constellation Cup was met with raised eyebrows.
SunLive - Silver Ferns defeat Australia in opening test sunlive.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sunlive.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Wednesday, 3 March 2021, 6:38 am
2
March, 2021
Captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio kept her
100 percent winning record intact as the Silver Ferns
delivered a well-crafted 49-44 win over Australia in the
opening Constellation Cup match in Christchurch on
Tuesday.
Played in front of an almost empty house due
to the current Level 2 Covid-19 restrictions, the situation
did not deter from a typically willing and hard-fought
trans-Tasman contest.
The Silver Ferns are keen to get
their hands on the Constellation Cup for just the second
time since its inception in 2010, having won it just the
once in 2012.
Both teams had their moments, neither
with much preparation under their belts but it was the
Phil Walter/Getty Images
New Zealand s Karin Burger attempts to be first to the ball against England s George Fisher in October’s Taini Jamison Trophy series. Of those 10 starts, just four have come at goal defence – a position Taurua has indicated she will see significant court-time in against Australia. Burger did start three games at goal defence in the last Constellation Cup held in 2019, playing the full match each time, experiences she would draw on. Comfortable sliding between wing defence and goal defence, the 27-year-old is content in either role, as long as she’s on court. Burger and goal keep Watson shape as the Ferns’ first-choice defensive combination against the Diamonds. Fitzpatrick, who was a standout for the Mystics last season, will naturally get her minutes too and could start some games as they look to manage the three players over the series.