Brownlie takes interim charge as White Ferns recall four for first series without Devine, Tahuhu and Bates
Dean Brownlie will coach the White Ferns in Australia this month. New Zealand Cricket has named him interim head coach for a three-match T20I series after Ben Sawyer's departure. Brownlie has been the team's batting coach for nearly four years.
NZC's announcement doesn't say why Sawyer left or whether it is looking for a permanent head coach. It says more coaching support for the series will be named next week.
Melie Kerr captains a 15-player group, the first White Ferns squad since Sophie Devine, Lea Tahuhu and Suzie Bates left. Four players have been recalled. Eleven players from the ICC Women's T20 World Cup squad keep their places.
Molly Penfold and Hannah Rowe return to a pace attack thinned by the retirements of Devine and Tahuhu, NZC said. Rowe has 47 T20I caps and spent part of the winter in Sri Lanka with New Zealand A. Penfold has just returned from the Women's KFC T20 Max in Australia, where she played for the Sandgate Redcliffe Gators.
Bella James, who was also on the New Zealand A trip to Sri Lanka, comes into the batting after Bates' departure.
Off-spinner Eden Carson also returns. She has 51 international caps and hasn't played since last December because of elbow surgery.
"The rehab process has taken a lot of patience, but I've been fortunate to have great support around me and I'm feeling ready to get back out there and contribute," Carson said in NZC's release.
One regular misses out. Wicketkeeper-batter Izzy Gaze has had surgery on an ongoing thumb injury and is working towards a return in early 2027, according to NZC. Polly Inglis takes the gloves.
"There's a balance of experience and future-focus in this squad and it's going to be a chance for the group to test themselves against a quality side," Brownlie said.
The opposition is about as tough as it gets. Australia are the reigning T20 World Cup champions. This is New Zealand's first international assignment of the 2026-27 season and part of their build-up to the first ICC Women's Champions Trophy, in India in 2027. With three of the team's best-known players gone, these matches are the first chance to see whether Penfold and Rowe can carry the new-ball load against a full-strength side.
The squad flies out on Monday, 12 October. They play a warm-up against a Governor-General's XI on Thursday, 15 October, starting at 9.05pm NZT. All three T20Is are at North Sydney Oval: Sunday 18, Tuesday 20 and Thursday 22 October. Each starts at 9.15pm NZT and will be shown live on Sky Sport in New Zealand.
NZC hasn't said who will coach the team after 22 October.