Six-time champions and the defending titleholders heading into the 2024 Women’s Twenty20 (T20) World Cup, Australia have announced their squad for the home series against New Zealand and the subsequent World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The squad remains largely consistent, with the return of a star pacer from injury, while an in-form veteran all-rounder continues to face the axe.
Darcie Brown, now recovered from a foot injury, returns to the Australia squad after missing the team’s recent series against Bangladesh in March-April. Meanwhile, Jess Jonassen, who last played a T20I in October 2023 but has since found success in top competitions both globally and at home, continues to be overlooked.
After Alex Blackwell led Australia to their first World Cup title in 2010, Jodie Fields captained the team to a successful defense in 2012. Meg Lanning then took over, steering Australia to a three-peat in 2014, a feat she repeated with consecutive wins in 2018, 2020, and 2023. With Lanning’s retirement last year, Alyssa Healy stepped in as the full-time captain and will be the fifth to lead Australia in a T20 World Cup.
This Alyssa Healy-led squad for the World Cup mirrors the one that last faced Bangladesh, with Darcie Brown returning after missing that series due to injury. Leading up to the 2024 World Cup, Australia will field the same team, plus Heather Graham, in three T20Is against New Zealand in Mackay and Brisbane.
Australia’s squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup:
Alyssa Healy (C), Tahlia McGrath (VC), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Tayla Vlaeminck
The seasoned duo of Tayla Vlaeminck and Sophie Molineux both made their return to the national white-ball squads during the Bangladesh series after repeated injury absences. Vlaeminck is set to make her first World Cup appearance since 2018, having missed the 2020 and 2023 T20 tournaments and the 2022 ODI World Cup due to injury, while Molineux, who also missed The Hundred 2024 after suffering a rib fracture, has recovered in time and will make her first World Cup appearance since 2020.
Power hitter Grace Harris, who had to withdraw from The Hundred 2024 due to a calf injury, is now fit to return. The seasoned and experienced squad also features emerging batter Phoebe Litchfield, labeled as an X-factor by the chief selector. Litchfield, who debuted late in 2022, will make her maiden World Cup appearance. She has since accumulated 191 runs in 9 T20Is, averaging 31.83 and striking at 161.86.
Commenting on the squad, chief selector Shawn Flegler highlighted consistency in squad selection, stating, “This 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.”
He added, “Phoebe is a real x-factor for us and will be well supported by an experienced group at her first World Cup. The pace duo of Tayla and Darcie is one we’ve been wanting to unleash for a while and is a real point of difference for us.”
It is not the end of the road for ‘unlucky’ Jess Jonassen, as understood from Shawn’s comment on her snub. He shared, “Jess 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.”
With a total of 204 appearances, 1,339 runs, and 244 wickets across formats in international cricket, Jess has shown strong form, pushing for her international return. Since her last T20I in October 2023, Jess has excelled in Australia’s premier domestic competitions, the Women’s National Cricket League and the Women’s Big Bash League.
Overseas, in the 2024 Women’s Premier League in India, she accumulated 66 runs at a strike rate of 143.47 and took 11 wickets from 7 matches, with an economy rate of 7.24. Most recently in The Hundred, she scored 176 runs at a strike rate of 130.37 from 7 innings and claimed 12 wickets from 8 games, maintaining an economy rate of 6.62. After her maiden stint in The Hundred, she made her Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) debut last week, featuring for the Knight Riders.
Amidst the ongoing political and social unrest in Bangladesh, the International Cricket Council (ICC) relocated the World Cup to the UAE for the same dates. Australia, drawn into Group A, the group of death, will face India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in their league matches.