The Melie Kerr era for Aotearoa's White Ferns has begun with the announcement of the new captain and a vibrant squad to host Zimbabwe. Having already established herself as one of New Zealand's best cricketers ever and showing tremendous leadership mana, it was a matter of when not if Kerr would take over as captain.

It's hard not to get a whiff of excitement about the Melie Kerr era for White Ferns. The 25-year-old leader has displayed tremendous self-awareness and skill in dealing with her rise from young phenom to being a leader. Kerr has a ruthless presence on the field where she dominates all aspects of the game and her takeover as captain comes at time when White Ferns have impressive talent on the rise.

There is ample talent and depth to the point where the absence of players like Kate Anderson, Caitlin Gurrey and Jess Watkin is no longer a drama. These players have once again been among the best domestic players this summer but so have 19-year-old Emma McLeod and 21-year-old Izzy Sharp, which signals a shift from the previous chapter as younger players are earning their White Ferns selections through heavy doses of runs and wickets.

McLeod and Sharp are joined by Flora Devonshire and Bree Illing in this bracket. Devonshire is one of the most aggressive batters on the women's circuit as a lefty and she is currently the best lefty spinner in Aotearoa. Illing has grown into one of the best seamers in Aotearoa regardless of her lefty style and should be a 1st 11 bowler in both formats.

McLeod scored quicker in Super Smash this season as an indicator of her development but she is only in the ODI squad vs Zimbabwe. McLeod has the ability to demand T20I selection based on her progression but her best format is clearly one-day cricket. Sharp, Devonshire and Illing are in both squads which reflects their mahi in both formats on the domestic circuit.

Another emerging talent in Nensi Patel is selected in both squads as a spinning all-rounder. Patel has been in the wider White Ferns mix for a few years but she has benefited the most from a steady supply of cricket below the international level, stacking up solid seasons in both formats with Northern District as well as playing for NZ-A/11 and in the North vs South Series.

Patel is having an excellent season with bat and ball, which is her ninth season and she's still only 23-years-old. The most important nugget for Patel is that she is the only batter in HBJ Shield who has scored 100+ runs with a strike-rate over 100 (283 runs @ 104.4sr). This is aligned with what White Ferns want from emerging players and the fact that Gaze is the only other batter in HBJ Shield over 100sr shows how impactful Patel has been.

Gaze is joined by Polly Inglis as wicket-keepers but the Otago keeper is only in the the T20I group. Inglis still seems like the best wicket-keeper/batter but Gaze is the most aggressive batter in Aotearoa and her glovework continues to improve. Also selected only for the T20Is is ND seamer Kayley Knight who is the most exciting seamer on the women's circuit as she bowls quicker than most, combines bounce with seam/swing and showed her batting ability throughout Super Smash.

Knight is 22-years-old and she will swap out for Molly Penfold who is only in the ODI squad. Knight is a better batter than Penfold so that may be a factor but Penfold was the leading wicket-taker in Super Smash and she has basically been selected for her weaker format. The Melie Kerr era feels like the ideal moment to trust in White Ferns decision makers so let's roll with these type of selections

Add Knight/Penfold to a seam group also featuring Mair and Illing for one of the fastest, most hostile White Ferns seam bowling attacks ever assembled. J-Kerr offers a fabulous all-round skillset and there are three different spin options in M-Kerr, Devonshire and Patel.

Georgia Plimmer has been getting captain experience for Wellington, while Auckland duo Maddy Green and Brooke Halliday offer plenty of support to M-Kerr as leaders. The wholesome cultural vibe of the Melie Kerr era shouldn't overshadow how this leadership group especially are proven winners who have driven standards of excellent at the domestic level.

White Ferns are now aligned with Blackcaps in the sense that it's far more fun to focus on the players who are in the mix, than worry about those not in the mix. Not only is their a fresh feel with the change in captaincy, the White Ferns have talent and depth that adds excitement to their potential. This squad skews younger but unlike previous squads, these youngsters deserve their opportunity and that confidence should boost the team's performances.

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Peace and love.