“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,” selection chief Shawn Flegler said in Sydney, as per PTI.
Alyssa Healy will lead the team, which is aiming for a fourth straight T20 victory; Tahlia McGrath will serve as her deputy. The competition gets underway in the United Arab Emirates on October 3.
“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,” 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,” Flegler added.
Grace Harris and Sophie Molineux, two left-arm spinners, have also fully recovered from their injuries.
After being hit by a ball while batting in the off-season, Molineux had to withdraw from The Hundred with a severe rib fracture, and Harris was also forced to miss the English franchise league because of a calf injury.
Despite being the third-highest wicket-taker in The Hundred earlier this month and the joint-highest wicket-taker for Delhi Capitals in the Women’s Premier League, left-arm spinner Jonassen has been left out of the lineup once more.
“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.
Having played a part in five tournament victories since her debut in 2012, she will be missing a T20 World Cup for the first time.
Phoebe Litchfield, a rising star who will play in her maiden World Cup, will be “a real x-factor” in a team with experience, according to Flegler.
In the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, Australia and New Zealand will play three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) next month.
The only player added to the squad for the series against New Zealand is all-rounder Heather Graham, who is not going to the UAE.
Squad: 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
