Australia squad announced for multi-format series against South Africa Women starting 27 Jan

Australia’s recent tour of India, marked by setbacks, ultimately proved successful. Captain Alyssa Healy noted, “… played two and a half bad days of cricket – one and a half days in the Test match and one T20(I).” Following the India tour, the victorious white-ball squad is set to regroup for their first-ever multi-format series against South Africa.

The selection panel, led by Shawn Flegler, has retained an unchanged 15-player squad for the upcoming home white-ball fixtures against South Africa. This decision mirrors the squad that secured a 3-0 victory in the One-Day International (ODI) series and a 2-1 win in the Twenty20 International (T20I) series against India on Indian soil.

Australia’s white-ball squad for South Africa Women’s 2024 series

Alyssa Healy (C), Tahlia McGrath (VC), Darcie Brown, Heather Graham, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris (T20Is only), Jess Jonassen, Alana King (ODIs only), Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham

The action-packed series begins with the 3-match T20I series on January 27th, followed by the ODIs kicking off on February 3rd. The series will culminate with a One-Off Test scheduled from the 15th to the 18th of February. After a heavy Test defeat against India in December ’23, all eyes will be on whether the selectors maintain faith in the same Test squad or consider tweaks.

South Africa Women’s tour of Australia 2024 Schedule:

DATE	EVENT	VENUE	TIME (LOCAL)
27-Jan-24	1st T20I	Manuka Oval, Canberra	10:45 AM
28-Jan-24	2nd T20I	Manuka Oval, Canberra	10:45 AM
30-Jan-24	3rd T20I	Blundstone Arena, Hobart	7:05 PM
3-Feb-24	1st ODI	Adelaide Oval	2:10 PM
7-Feb-24	2nd ODI	North Sydney Oval	2:40 PM
10-Feb-24	3rd ODI	North Sydney Oval	2:40 PM
15-18-Feb-24	One-Off Test	WACA Ground, Perth	11:00 AM

The selectors have unveiled the squad for the One-Off (T20) practice game against South Africa, led by Sophie Molineux. The youthful ‘Governor General’s XI’ is set to showcase emerging talents from both domestic and Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) scenes, including players like Amy Edgar, Sianna Ginger, Milly Illingworth, Charli Knott, Chloe Ainsworth, and Amy Smith. The clash is scheduled for January 24th at North Sydney Oval.

Sophie Molineux (C) Chloe Ainsworth, Maddy Darke, Amy Edgar, Tess Flintoff, Sianna Ginger, Milly Illingworth, Charli Knott, Courtney Sippel, Amy Smith, Georgia Voll, Private Kayla Stuchbree

Cricket Australia’s national development lead Kirsten Beams will coach the emerging side and will be assisted by coaches Jenny Gunn and Grant Lambert. Commenting on the Governor General’s XI, Shawn said, “The Governor-General’s XI fixture presents a great opportunity to see some of the brightest young cricketers take on a high-quality international opposition.

“The talent in this squad shows the depth in the women’s game in Australia and we’re excited to see our next generation of players progress through the ranks of Australian cricket.”