With less than a month to go before Australia takes on New Zealand in a three-match T20I series, the squad has been finalized, and there’s a significant change at the top.
Captain Alyssa Healy will miss the tour as she continues her recovery from a foot injury, paving the way for Tahlia McGrath to step in as skipper. Ashleigh Gardner has been named vice-captain for the series, which begins on March 21 at Auckland’s Eden Park.
Victoria and Melbourne Renegades wicket keeper-batter Nicole Faltum has received her maiden call-up to the national team, rewarded for her success this domestic season. The 25-year-old has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket, most recently playing a key role for WBBL champions Renegades. She also led the Governor-General’s XI against England earlier this year.
While Beth Mooney will take on wicketkeeping duties in Healy’s absence, Faltum has been brought in as a backup option. Chief selector Shawn Flegler explained the decision, saying, “We just see Nic slightly ahead of the others, particularly for the T20 format. It’s really unlikely that she will play. Obviously, Beth will take the gloves for this tour, and she did a really good job during the Ashes replacing Alyssa. But we just thought it was a great opportunity for Nicole to come in and be around the group, train with them, and get to see the environment firsthand.”
Faltum, who previously represented Australia A, enjoyed a standout 2024-25 domestic season, scoring 136 runs at a strike rate of 134.65 in the WBBL and amassing 438 runs from 12 matches for Victoria in the WNCL.
Healy has endured a tough run with injuries over the past year. She suffered a ruptured plantar fascia during the T20 World Cup last October, forcing her to miss Australia’s final group-stage match and semi-final. A subsequent knee injury ruled her out of the latter half of the WBBL and the ODI series against India.
With the Women’s Premier League also off her schedule, Healy is targeting a return to action before the ODI World Cup in India this October. Australia remains confident that she will be fit in time, as Flegler reassured, “My understanding is that there’s no doubt that she’ll get through to the World Cup, that’s for sure.
“She’s had a complicated last couple of years with some different injuries… some Achilles and stuff. We certainly don’t want to rush it. As far as I’m aware, there’s no risk that she’ll miss out on that World Cup.”
A potential comeback could happen in England’s Hundred tournament before Australia’s ODI series in India this September.
All-rounder Sophie Molineux remains sidelined as she continues her rehabilitation from a knee injury that ruled her out of last year’s multi-format Ashes series. The selectors are taking a cautious approach with her recovery, ensuring she is fully fit for the World Cup.
“We want to make sure that she’s right for that World Cup; we think she’ll be an important member of that side. When she came back into the team, she played a really good role for us across all formats. We’re not going to rush her back. It’s a bit of a complex injury, but we want to make sure that she’s good to go in September,” Flegler stated.
Meanwhile, pace bowler Tayla Vlaeminck, who dislocated her bowling shoulder during the T20 World Cup last October, does not have a confirmed return date. The hope is that she will be fit to play at some stage next summer.
Australia enters the series fresh from their historic 16-0 Ashes sweep, but they know facing reigning T20 World Cup champions New Zealand on their home turf will be a challenge. These three T20Is hold added significance, given the limited opportunities Australia has in this format before the 2026 T20 World Cup in England.
Flegler acknowledged the importance of the series, saying, “We were really disappointed with how the T20 World Cup ended for us, and New Zealand did extremely well to win that World Cup. It’s a great chance for us to go up against them. There’s always a great rivalry against New Zealand, and I’m sure they’ll be keen to play well against us.
We don’t have that many T20s leading into the next T20 World Cup, so every opportunity we get is really important to keep trying those different combinations and getting players used to those positions that they are now in.”
Adding to the spectacle, all three matches will be played as double-headers alongside New Zealand’s men’s T20I series against Pakistan.
Australia’s T20I squad for New Zealand series:
Tahlia McGrath, Ashleigh Gardner (VC), Darcie Brown, Nicole Faltum, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham
The series will begin on March 21 at Eden Park in Auckland, followed by the second match on March 23 at Bay Oval in Tauranga, and the final game on March 26 at Sky Stadium in Wellington. All three matches will be played as double-headers alongside New Zealand’s men’s T20I series against Pakistan.
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