England Women’s Cricket Team Announce Squads for Upcoming Matches
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced the squads for the England women’s cricket team ahead of their upcoming One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 (T20) matches. According to a report by the BBC, the team has undergone significant changes following a disappointing winter season.
Somerset spinner Sophie Ecclestone, currently ranked as the number one bowler in both one-day and T20 internationals, has been included in the squad. However, her participation in the team comes after a tumultuous winter season for England, which saw them exit the T20 World Cup in the group stages and lose every match of their Ashes tour. The poor performance led to the departure of head coach Jon Lewis and captain Heather Knight.
Ecclestone made headlines during the tour of Australia for refusing a TV interview with former team-mate Alex Hartley. Hartley had questioned the fitness levels of some England players following their early exit from the T20 World Cup. In a recent statement, Ecclestone revealed that she has now "moved on" and "learned" from the experience.
The BBC reports that there are several new faces in the England squad, including 27-year-old Lamb, who has been included in the ODI line-up after making a strong start to the One-Day Cup. Lamb has hit one century and four half-centuries for Lancashire from her seven innings, leading the competition’s run-scoring charts.
Other new inclusions in the squad include Surrey all-rounder Davidson-Richards, who has played 15 times for England, and Arlott, who has taken 13 wickets in her first six One-Day Cup matches of the season for Warwickshire. Opener Tammy Beaumont returns to the T20 squad, while spinner Linsey Smith could make her first appearance in an ODI.
The BBC also reports that several players have been left out of the squad, including Bouchier, who scored just 42 runs from seven innings in the Ashes campaign, and 34-year-old Wyatt-Hodge, who will not play in the ODIs having played 118 games in the format.
England’s ODI and T20 squads have been bolstered by the inclusion of young players, including 22-year-old Wong, who last featured in the Ireland series and performed strongly in an A tour of Australia last month. All-rounders Freya Kemp and Danielle Gibson and seamer Lauren Filer were not considered for selection due to injury.
The England women’s cricket team will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing winter season, and the new squad will be eager to make a positive impact in their upcoming matches. As reported by the BBC, the team will be led by a new-look squad with a mix of experienced and young players.
