Australia Women name 18-member squad for India Test, ODIs and T20Is; Megan Schutt, Jess Jonassen miss out

Megan Schutt and Jess Jonassen are the major omissions as Australia Women named an 18-member squad for the one-off Test, three ODIs and as many T20Is against India. Georgia Redmayne and Stella Campbell have earned maiden national call-ups. Redmayne is currently representing the Welsh Fire in the Women’s Hundred and is the second-highest run-scorer for her team.

The southpaw has scored 152 runs thus far from seven games at an average of 30.40 and a strike rate of 104.10. The 27-year-old has got useful scores in the 30s, although the Fire have already been knocked out of the tournament.

The 19-year-old Campbell, on the other hand, has played for New South Wales in the National Cricket League and the Sydney Sixers in the WBBL. Last year, Ben Sawyer, the head coach of the Sixers, had said that the young speedster had brushed her skills with time.

“Her control has improved – one of her goals this year was to improve her control of different deliveries,” Sawyer had mentioned. In 26 WBBL matches, Campbell has picked up 15 wickets with best figures of 2/12 against Adelaide Strikers.

As far as the other members in the squad are concerned, there are nine potential Test debutants. Meg Lanning continues to lead the side with Rachael Haynes as her deputy. Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardener, Alyssa Healy and ace all-rounder Ellyse Perry are the experienced heads in the squad.

Australia squad

Meg Lanning (C), Rachael Haynes (VC), Darcie Brown, Maitlan Brown, Stella Campbell, Nicola Carey, Hannah Darlington, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Redmayne, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

India’s tour gets underway with the opening ODI on Sunday, September 19 at the North Sydney Oval. The second and third ODI will be played on September 22 and 24 at the Junction Oval in Melbourne. The ODIs will be followed by the one-off Day-Night Test at the W.A.C.A in Perth.

The T20Is are scheduled to get underway on Monday, October 11 and all three games will take place at the North Sydney Oval. The two teams last faced in March 2020 in the T20 World Cup final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground where the Aussies came out trumps comfortably.