Australia Women’s squad named for Qantas Tour of West Indies
Source:Cricket Australia-CA Multicultural Media(eLanka)
The Cricket Australia National Selection Panel (NSP) has today named a 15-player squad for Australia’s upcoming white-ball tour to the West Indies.
The tour will consist of three T20 Internationals and three One Day Internationals played across St Vincents and St Kitts from March 19 – April 2.
The ODIs will form part of the ICC Women’s Championship, with points up for grabs in all three fixtures.
Australia squad
Darcie Brown (Adelaide Strikers / SA / Northern Districts CC)
Nicola Carey (Hobart Hurricanes / TAS / North Hobart CC)
Ashleigh Gardner (Sydney Sixers / NSW / Bankstown CC)
Kim Garth (Melbourne Stars / VIC / Dandenong CC)
Lucy Hamilton (Brisbane Heat / QLD / Sunshine Coast CC)
Alana King (Perth Scorchers / WA / Midland Guildford CC)
Phoebe Litchfield (Sydney Thunder / NSW / Sydney University CC)
Tahlia McGrath (Adelaide Strikers / SA / Glenelg CC)
Sophie Molineux (Melbourne Renegades / VIC / Dandenong Cricket Club) – captain
Beth Mooney (Perth Scorchers / WA / Sandgate-Redcliffe CC)
Ellyse Perry (Sydney Sixers / NSW)
Megan Schutt (Adelaide Strikers / SA / Sturt CC)
Georgia Voll (Sydney Thunder / QLD / Sandgate-Redcliffe District CC)
Georgia Wareham (Melbourne Renegades / VIC / Essendon Maribyrnong Park CC)
Tahlia Wilson (Sydney Thunder / NSW / St George-Sutherland CC)
Tahlia Wilson has been named in her first Australian squad and will join the side following the Women’s National Cricket League Final on 21 March.
Grace Harris has been omitted from the T20 side, while Lucy Hamilton and Nicola Carey have retained their spots in the side after being called up for Australia’s recent series against India. Annabel Sutherland will also miss the series.
National Selector, Shawn Flegler said:
“Being the final series before the T20 World Cup, it’s a great opportunity for the group to refine our plans against a challenging opposition.
“This tour marks the beginning of a new era for the side, with Sophie taking the reins across all formats and a new-look batting line-up following Alyssa’s retirement.
“Sophie was terrific during the recent T20 series against India and has already begun shaping her leadership style and this tour will be another important step in continuing to define how she wants to lead the side.
“Sophie is progressing well and is expected to be available to play. We’ll prioritise the T20 matches and continue to assess her across the ODI series.
“Annabel will miss the series as part of a proactive management plan after a significant workload over the past 12 months, and we believe the extended rest will help ensure she’s at her best ahead of the World Cup.
“Grace has missed selection, but we obviously know what she’s capable of and she remains firmly in our thinking ahead of the World Cup.
“We’re really pleased with how well Lucy has transitioned to International cricket, she’s had a staggered introduction and we expect she’ll get an opportunity to show what she can do in the T20 format as well.
“Nicola also retains her spot in the side despite having limited opportunities in the recent series against India. She showed what she’s capable of particularly with the bat in the ODIs and we’re looking forward to seeing more of that.
“Tahlia will finish the season with NSW before joining the squad as the reserve wicketkeeper. She’s been a consistent performer at domestic level over a long period of time and has performed strongly in her appearances with Australia A.”
Fixture
T20 Internationals
March 19, St Vincents
March 21, St Vincents
March 23, St Vincents
One Day Internationals
March 27, St Kitts
March 29, St Kitts
April 2, St Kitts
ENDS
