WELLINGTON: Sophie Devine has been named the permanent New Zealand women’s cricket captain with her predecessor Amy Satterthwaite taking the vice-captaincy on her return from maternity leave. Devine stepped into the captaincy when Satterthwaite took leave last year to have her first child with wife and team-mate Lea Tahuhu and led the team at the T20 World Cup in Australia where they were knocked out in the group stage. She is now set to lead the side at the home one-day World Cup next February and March should that tournament retain its spot in the schedule amid the fallout from Covid-19. “It’s a huge honour and privilege to be awarded the White Ferns captaincy,” Devine said. Devine has enjoyed a prolific run of form over the last 18 months and became the first player to score five consecutive fifty-plus scores in T20Is with a century against South Africa, a run she extended to six when she opened her T20 World Cup campaign with an unbeaten 75 against Sri Lanka. New Zealand are due to return to international action with a tour to Australia starting in late September to play three ODIs and three T20Is.