England announces its 17-member squad for India Test; uncapped Emily Arlott included

On Wednesday, England announced its 17-member squad for the India Test that will be played from June 16 to June 19 at County Ground in Bristol. The match will kick start at 10.30 am local (3pm IST).

 

England Women's Cricket Test Team. Photograph: Graham Hunt/ProSports/Shutterstock
England Women’s Cricket Test Team. Photograph: Graham Hunt/ProSports/Shutterstock

 

Uncapped player Emily Arlott has made the cut into the English squad, just days after taking a hat-trick for Central Sparks against the defending champions Southern Vipers in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.

The 23-year old right-arm quick scalped a five-wicket haul, giving away just 29 runs. She picked up four wickets in an over, including a hat-trick, and played a pivotal role in her team’s win over the reigning champions on Saturday.

Arlott is joined by left-arm seamer Natasha Farrant, who returned to the international frame on the tour of New Zealand earlier this year having secured one of the 41 full-time regional contracts introduced into the women’s game in 2020.

Veteran seamer Anya Shrubsole, who missed out on the New Zealand series due to a knee injury, surrendered the vice-captaincy to Natalie Sciver, who has now been confirmed as Heather Knight’s deputy across all formats.

Announcing the squad, England’s head coach Lisa Keightley said: “It’s been hard to pick a squad given the balance of needing cover in a COVID world while wanting to give players as much chance as possible to play cricket. We want players to have opportunities out in the middle so we’re looking to reduce our numbers slightly ahead of the Test to give the non-selected players that chance. I’m really excited by the summer ahead. We’ve been working really hard across the last 10 weeks, India is a strong side and it’s the beginning of a two-year journey for us that takes in two ICC World Cups, an Ashes, and the Commonwealth Games.”

England Women squad: Heather Knight (cap), Emily Arlott, Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Georgia Elwiss, Tash Farrant, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Natalie Sciver (vice cap), Anya Shrubsole, Mady Villiers, Fran Wilson, Lauren Winfield-Hill

Also Read:  England announces 14-player ODI Squad to play against India, Mady Villiers and Emily Arlott released

There is seldom any doubt that it will be an interesting contest between the two strong sides, who will meet to play the longest format after seven years.

I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.

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