England have announced their squad for October’s Women’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. It includes 11 of the 15 players who reached the semi-finals of last year’s tournament in South Africa.
The 29-year-old spinner Linsey Smith, who was called back into the international team in March after an absence of nearly five years and whose previous experience of a World Cup was in 2018, has capped her return by winning a place alongside the all-rounder Freya Kemp, who is 10 years her junior.
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The head coach, Jon Lewis, is optimistic about the team’s chances of success despite being blind-sided by last week’s decision to move the tournament from Bangladesh. “We were really well prepared for Bangladesh. We didn’t see the change of venue coming so we’d done a lot of preparation for the skills required there,” he said.
“But I feel like we’re ready and we’re confident and we’ve got a good chance. There’s a lot more to come from this team than they’ve produced in the seven years since they last won a World Cup.”
Bess Heath has been picked as back-up wicketkeeper and along with Kemp, who recently returned from back injury, will also be in the squad for next month’s one-day international series in Ireland, the only players in both selections. “They’re two really young players, two really exciting talents,” said Lewis. “Giving them the opportunity to play cricket was the right thing.
“It’s nice to give Bess the opportunity to keep in an England shirt so she gets more comfortable doing it, and Freya, of all the players in the World Cup squad, was most disappointed about how she played in the Hundred. We’ve just given her the opportunity to play some cricket and get herself back into rhythm with her bowling.”
Related: Women’s T20 World Cup moved to UAE due to ongoing unrest in Bangladesh
There is no room in the World Cup squad for the fast bowler Lauren Filer, although she will join the pre-tournament training camp in Abu Dhabi, with Lewis deciding that given the conditions they are likely to face in the UAE “spinners are going to do the bulk of the work”.
“We’ve got some fantastic young fast bowlers who will be the next evolution of this team,” he said. “When the young fast bowlers who are around our setup come through and start to win games on their own, that will be the next evolution.
“To win tournaments most of the time your most experienced players do most of the heavy lifting, but our young players are really starting to stamp their authority on international cricket and play some match-defining roles.”
England squad for Women’s T20 World Cup: Heather Knight (Western Storm, capt), Lauren Bell (Southern Vipers), Maia Bouchier (Southern Vipers), Alice Capsey (South East Stars), Charlie Dean (Southern Vipers), Sophia Dunkley (South East Stars), Sophie Ecclestone (Thunder), Danielle Gibson (Western Storm), Sarah Glenn (The Blaze), Bess Heath (Northern Diamonds), Amy Jones (Central Sparks), Freya Kemp (Southern Vipers), Nat Sciver-Brunt (The Blaze), Linsey Smith (Southern Vipers), Danni Wyatt (Southern Vipers).
England’s Women’s T20 World Cup schedule: 5 Oct Bangladesh (Sharjah); 7 Oct South Africa (Sharjah); 13 Oct Scotland (Sharjah); 15 Oct West Indies (Dubai); 17 Oct Semi-final 1 (Dubai); 18 Oct Semi-final 2 (Sharjah); 20 October, Final (Dubai).
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