| Leigh Kasperek | |||||
| Female: | true | ||||
| Fullname: | Leigh Meghan Kasperek | ||||
| Birth Date: | 15 February 1992 | ||||
| Birth Place: | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||||
| Batting: | Right-handed | ||||
| Bowling: | Right-arm off break | ||||
| Role: | Bowling all-rounder | ||||
| International: | true | ||||
| Country2: | New Zealand | ||||
| Internationalspan2: | 2015–present | ||||
| Country: | Scotland | ||||
| Internationalspan: | 2007–2012 | ||||
| Odidebutdate: | 28 June | ||||
| Odidebutyear: | 2015 | ||||
| Odidebutfor: | New Zealand | ||||
| Odidebutagainst: | India | ||||
| Odicap2: | 133 | ||||
| Lastodidate: | 23 September | ||||
| Lastodiyear: | 2021 | ||||
| Lastodifor: | New Zealand | ||||
| Lastodiagainst: | England | ||||
| T20idebutdate: | 11 July | ||||
| T20idebutyear: | 2015 | ||||
| T20idebutfor: | New Zealand | ||||
| T20idebutagainst: | India | ||||
| T20icap2: | 46 | ||||
| Lastt20idate: | 12 October | ||||
| Lastt20iyear: | 2024 | ||||
| Lastt20ifor: | New Zealand | ||||
| Lastt20iagainst: | Sri Lanka | ||||
| T20ishirt: | 62 | ||||
| Club1: | Western Australia | ||||
| Year1: | 2011/12 | ||||
| Club2: | Essex | ||||
| Year2: | 2012–2013 | ||||
| Club3: | Wellington | ||||
| Year3: | 2012/13 | ||||
| Club4: | Otago | ||||
| Club5: | Yorkshire | ||||
| Year5: | 2018–2019 | ||||
| Club6: | Yorkshire Diamonds | ||||
| Year6: | 2019 | ||||
| Club7: | Wellington | ||||
| Year7: | 2019/20–present | ||||
| Club8: | Velocity | ||||
| Year8: | 2020 | ||||
| Club9: | Northern Diamonds | ||||
| Year9: | 2022 | ||||
| Columns: | 2 | ||||
| Column1: | WODI | ||||
| Matches1: | 39 | ||||
| Runs1: | 299 | ||||
| Bat Avg1: | 17.58 | ||||
| 100S/50S1: | 1/0 | ||||
| Top Score1: | 113 | ||||
| Deliveries1: | 1,904 | ||||
| Wickets1: | 65 | ||||
| Bowl Avg1: | 19.43 | ||||
| Fivefor1: | 2 | ||||
| Tenfor1: | 0 | ||||
| Best Bowling1: | 6/46 | ||||
| Catches/Stumpings1: | 12/– | ||||
| Column2: | WT20I | ||||
| Matches2: | 52 | ||||
| Runs2: | 119 | ||||
| Bat Avg2: | 6.26 | ||||
| 100S/50S2: | 0/0 | ||||
| Top Score2: | 19 | ||||
| Deliveries2: | 1,128 | ||||
| Wickets2: | 81 | ||||
| Bowl Avg2: | 14.86 | ||||
| Fivefor2: | 0 | ||||
| Tenfor2: | 0 | ||||
| Best Bowling2: | 4/7 | ||||
| Catches/Stumpings2: | 12/– | ||||
| Source: | http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/306524.html ESPNcricinfo | ||||
| Date: | 21 October 2024 | ||||
| Module: |
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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]
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]
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]
In 2022, Kasperek signed for Northern Diamonds as an overseas player for the upcoming season.[12] She played 13 matches for the side that season, across the Charlotte Edwards Cup and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, taking 14 wickets.[13] [14]
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,[15] including figures of 6/8 in one match against Canterbury.[16] 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).[17]
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.[18] Kasperek went on to play in every game on the tour, which comprised five One Day International (ODI) and three Twenty20 International matches.[19] [20] On debut in the first ODI, she took 3/39 from 10 overs.[21] Later in 2015, against the touring Sri Lankans, Kasperek took 4/27, her maiden ODI four-wicket haul.[22]
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.[23]
In August 2018, she was awarded a central contract by New Zealand Cricket, following the tours of Ireland and England in the previous months.[24] [25] In October 2018, she was named in New Zealand's squad for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies.[26] [27] She was the leading wicket-taker for New Zealand in the tournament, with eight dismissals in four matches.[28]
In January 2020, she was named in New Zealand's squad for the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia.[29]
During the 2nd WODI of the Australia tour of New Zealand in 2020-21, Kasperek took all bar one of the seven wickets to fall in the Australian innings,[30] finishing with figures of 6/46 from 10 overs, the 17th best innings figures in Women's ODI history.[31] She finished as the leading wicket taker in the ODI leg of the series with 9 wickets, despite playing only two of the three matches.[32]
In September 2024 she was named in the New Zealand squad for the 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup.[33]