Following her recovery from a stress fracture in her foot, Darcie Brown was added to Australia’s 15-player roster for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, which has been shifted from Bangladesh to the UAE. Tayla Vlaeminck will accompany Brown in giving Australia two bowlers with more pace. While this will be Phoebe Litchfield’s first T20 World Cup.
Jess Jonassen, who was left out of the Bangladesh tour earlier this year, will not be playing in a World Cup for the first time when she has been available for selection.
Australia would be hoping to win the T20 World Cup for the ffourth time in a row, and Alyssa Healy is leading a well composed squad of fifteen players. Both Grace Harris (calf) and Sophie Molineux (rib) have recovered from injuries that prevented them from competing in the English competition The Hundred.
“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,” national selector Shawn Flegler said. “It’s the first time Alyssa will have the reins at a World Cup and we’ve already seen what her and Tahlia bring from a leadership perspective, so it’s exciting for them to have this opportunity to lead their country on the biggest stage.
“Pheobe 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.”
The door was maintained open for Jonassen, who has played a significant role in Australia’s teams over the past 10 years, to force her way back into the lineup during the season, which includes an Ashes series.
“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,” Flegler said.
Australia Women’s T20 World Cup squad :
Alyssa Healy (capt and wk), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Tayla Vlaeminck
