Eboni Usoro-Brown, who played over 100 Tests for England, has warned Netball New Zealand and the Silver Ferns the side picked to contest this year's Taini Jamison Trophy series shouldn't be underestimated.
On Thursday morning the English team was named, and not one of the 12 players who claimed silver at the Netball World Cup in Cape Town was selected.
Instead, an inexperienced squad of 14 has been named, featuring seven debutants. Netball New Zealand boss Jennie Wyllie told 1News the selections were 'disappointing' and 'disrespectful'.
England's reasoning was to give players a planned break. Usoro-Brown, formally Beckford-Chambers, says after a four-year cycle there always has to be a rebuilding phase.
"I think from an England Roses perspective they've came off the World Cup and Commonwealth Games the year before, it meant many of those athletes, the likes of Eleanor Cardwell, Helen Housby were playing in the grand final of [Australia's] Suncorp Super Netball," Usoro-Brown explained.
"In terms of the selections being made, I think it's quite logical to breed some new talent, it's a great point within the cycle to really expose some of our young guns."
Usoro-Brown says the squad is filled with talented players, though New Zealanders don't get to see them play domestically with no access to the UK Super League.
"There is talent that's around the England Roses setup, and really exciting talent - dynamic.
"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. It's not the bigger names, the superstars you're used to seeing, but I think it will be a good test for the Silver Ferns."
The first test is on September 24 in Christchurch, which will be six weeks since England played in the World Cup final. Although that seems sufficient time off, Usoro-Brown added she understood why the top players have been given a big break.
"The likes of Nat Metcalf, Layla Guscoth, you've got to think about their loads in the last couple of years. This is the prime opportunity to give them a rest, we've got a very busy calendar coming up going into 2024. In this series, in this moment of time given the success of the Roses at the World Cup, it's a great way in which to see the development and the longevity of the England Roses programme."
England will also be without head coach Jess Thirlby. Technical coach Liana Leota, who played 41 Tests for the Silver Ferns, will lead the side in Thirlby's absence.
Usoro-Brown said it's important for Thirlby to have some time off and be with her family, following the death of her father shortly before the World Cup.
"Her [Thirlby] father passed away and she still stepped on that plane with the Roses and was out in South Africa for six or seven weeks. She didn't have that time to bond with her family, to grieve and lay her father to rest."
The Silver Ferns teams for the Taini Jamison Trophy and Constellation Cup will be named in the coming days.
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