Cricket Australia announced a 15-member Australia A squad on January 12. Australia A squad will play three T20s and as many one-day matches against England A team concurrently during the Women’s Ashes that start from January 20 in Australia.
Australia A Women’s squad:
Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Stella Campbell, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Phoebe Litchfield, Katie Mack, Georgia Redmayne (C), Courtney Sippel, Molly Strano, Elyse Villani, Georgia Voll, Amanda-Jade Wellington
Four players that were a part of the home series against India that was played in September-October last year did not make it to the Ashes squad due to a decrease in squad size. Georgia Redmayne, Stella Campbell, Maitlan Brown, and Molly Strano are the four players that did not make the cut for the Ashes, but they find themselves in Australia A squad. These four players will look to make the most of the opportunity in hand for them to get noticed by the selectors just before the World Cup.
Apart from these players, the one name that is not seen in either of the squads is that of left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux. Molineux played a key role in Australia’s recent success against India and there is no doubt that Australia will miss her services during the Ashes. The national selector, Shawn Flegler said, “As expected, Sophie Molineux will miss this series due to the stress fracture in her right foot that she suffered at the back end of the WBBL (Women’s Big Bash League), but we’ll continue to monitor her in the lead up to the World Cup with the aim that’s she’s available for that tournament.”
The three T20s and the three one-day fixtures that Australia and England will play against each other will be very important for both teams, ahead of the ICC Women’s World Cup that starts from March 4 in New Zealand. This series will be the last international bilateral series for both teams before the World Cup. While the defending champions, England, will look to get their combinations right going into the World Cup, the current World T20 champions will also look at the “A” matches from a serious angle.
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.