Australia’s national selector, Shawn Flegler, announced that the women’s cricket team is set to embark on their first-ever bilateral tour to Bangladesh. The primary focus of this tour is to prepare for the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup scheduled for September in the same country. The tour, comprising three ODIs and as many T20Is, is slated for late March and early April, following the Women’s Premier League in India.
Flegler emphasized the importance of the tour, stating, “We’ve got a couple of venues in Bangladesh that the World Cup will be played at, so that will be part of the investigation during the tour, about how wickets are going to play.”
Australia’s last visit to Bangladesh was in 2014 when they clinched the Women’s T20 World Cup. Four players from that victorious squad, including captain Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, and Jess Jonassen, are still active in international cricket.
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Despite Australia’s abundance of spin-bowling options, the team faces tough choices. Left-arm spinner Jess, off-spin all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner, and leg-spinners Georgia Wareham and Alana King are in contention. The competition is so fierce that Alana is exclusively included in the ODI squad for the South Africa series.
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Sophie Molineux, a left-arm spin all-rounder returning from a year-long ACL injury, adds another layer of complexity. Flegler praised her return, stating, “Having a left-arm orthodox spinner playing international cricket is pretty good.”
Amanda Jade-Wellington, despite an impressive record with 46 wickets in the last two WBBLs, faces uncertainty in her selection. Flegler addressed her situation, saying, “It’s a personal decision for Amanda what she wants to do. We certainly haven’t said she’ll never play for Australia again.”
–IANS
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