Australia has confirmed its squad for the upcoming ICC Women's T20 World Cup, which will take place in October in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after initially being scheduled to be held in Bangladesh.
The 15-player squad has no major surprises but it will not include former Australian captain Meg Lanning who announced her retirement last year. Lanning's retirement will see Alyssa Healy lead the team with Tahlia McGrath named as the vice-captain.
The six-time champions of the tournament enter the competition as the defending champions after winning the title last year in South Africa.
From last year's squad the only changes will see Tayla Vlaeminck, Phoebe Litchfield and Sophie Molineux enter the team, as they will replace Lanning, Heather Graham and Sophie Molineux.
โThis is the first time in a long time we've had our entire contract list available for selection ahead of a World Cup and it's resulted in a really stable and balanced squad," selector Shawn Flegler said.
โIt's the first time Alyssa Healy will have the reins at a World Cup and we've already seen what her and Tahlia McGrath bring from a leadership perspective, so it's exciting for them to have this opportunity to lead their country on the biggest stage."
โPhoebe Litchfield is a real x-factor for us and will be well supported by an experienced group at her first World Cup.
โThe pace duo of Tayla Vlaeminck and Darcie Brown is one we've been wanting to unleash for a while and is a real point of difference for us.
โJess Jonassen is again unlucky to miss out, but we've been impressed with the way she's bounced back, and we'll continue to monitor her form ahead of the home summer.โ
Full Squad
Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Ash Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham
