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.Steve Hepburn (13 May 2015). "Cricket: Long and winding road to call-up" – Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 5 October 2015.

Scotland career 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.Women's miscellaneous matches played by Leigh Kasperek – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015. Her international debut came later in the year, when she appeared against Ireland and the Netherlands at the European Championship.Scotland women's matches played by Leigh Kasperek – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015. 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.Records / ICC Women's World Cup Qualifying Series, 2007/08 - Scotland Women / Minor cricket (one-day/limited overs) / Batting and bowling averages – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 October 2015.

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.Hampshire Women v Scotland Women, LV Women's County Championship 2009 (Division Three) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015. 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).Netherlands Women v Scotland Women, Women's European Championship 2009 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015. During the 2010 County Championship season, Kasperek scored 218 runs from her ten matches, behind only Kathryn White for Scotland.Batting and fielding for Scotland Women, LV Women's County Championship 2010 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015. Her best performance was an innings of 68 against Hampshire, which was her only half-century.Hampshire Women v Scotland Women, LV Women's County Championship 2010 (Division Three) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015.

Overseas experience 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.(6 October 2011). "Scot Set to Unleash Fury" – WACA. Retrieved 5 October 2015.Women's Australia league matches played by Leigh Kasperek – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015. 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. 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."Leigh Kasperek arrives to help Blaze" – scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 5 October 2015.

In 2022, Kasperek signed for Northern Diamonds as an overseas player for the upcoming season. She played 13 matches for the side that season, across the Charlotte Edwards Cup and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, taking 14 wickets.

New Zealand career 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,Bowling in New Zealand Women's One-Day Competition 2013/14 (ordered by wickets) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015. including figures of 6/8 in one match against Canterbury.Otago Women v Canterbury Women, New Zealand Women's One-Day Competition 2013/14 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015. 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).Women's limited-overs matches played by Leigh Kasperek – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015.

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. In May 2015, she was unexpectedly named in the squad for the 2015 tour of India."Leigh Kasperek included in NZ women squad" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 October 2015. Kasperek went on to play in every game on the tour, which comprised five One Day International (ODI) and three Twenty20 International matches.Women's ODI matches played by Leigh Kasperek – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015.Women's International Twenty20 matches played by Leigh Kasperek – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015. On debut in the first ODI, she took 3/39 from 10 overs.India Women v New Zealand Women, ICC Women's Championship 2014 to 2016/17 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 October 2015. Later in 2015, against the touring Sri Lankans, Kasperek took 4/27, her maiden ODI four-wicket haul."Priest ton sets up big New Zealand Women win" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 November 2015.

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.(28 February 2016). "Kasperek's four-for sets up easy win for New Zealand" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 28 February 2016.

In August 2018, she was awarded a central contract by New Zealand Cricket, following the tours of Ireland and England in the previous months. In October 2018, she was named in New Zealand's squad for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies. She was the leading wicket-taker for New Zealand in the tournament, with eight dismissals in four matches.

In January 2020, she was named in New Zealand's squad for the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia.

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, finishing with figures of 6/46 from 10 overs, the 17th best innings figures in Women's ODI history. 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.

In September 2024, she was named in the New Zealand squad for the 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup.

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