Australian squad for T20 World Cup defence locked in

Three years after a stunning T20 World Cup win at the MCG, the Australian squad to defend that title in South Africa in February has been confirmed.

Australian coach Shelley Nitschke defended the shock inclusion of leg-spinner Georgia Wareham in the squad named to defend the T20 World Cup crown in February, declaring her an “integral” part of the team.

Wareham, who was part of the squad that romped to victory in the World Cup final at the MCG in 2020, has played just two back games after recovering from a serious knee injury suffered in October, 2021 and was chosen ahead of a number of unlucky players.

Nicola Carey, who played in the 2020 final, as well as leggie Amanda-Jade Wellington, the third leading wicket-taker in the WBBL and part of the tour of India in December, were both big omissions.

The return of captain Meg Lanning also squeezed out teenager Phoebe Litchfield, but Nitschke said Wareham, who has played 35 T20s for Australia, was a worthy inclusion given her performances before she suffered her ACL injury.

“Georgia was a fantastic player for us before her injury. We feel like she offers us another option with the ball and lower order hitting with the bat,” the coach said.

“She was integral part of the team prior to injury and now she’s fully fit we saw fit to have her in that squad.”

Georgia Wareham made her return for Victoria last weekend. Picture: Graham Denholm/Getty Images

Former Irish international Kim Garth, who played two World Cups for Ireland, and Heather Graham, who took a hat-trick in India, also hold their spots after making their T20I debuts in December.

Carey, injured Sophie Molineux, retirees Rachael Haynes and Delissa Kimmince as well as Erin Burns and Molly Strano are the players from the successful 2020 campaign who won’t be part of the title defence.

National selection boss Shawn Flegler said the omitted trio were on standby and praised Wareham’s resilience to return to cricket after injury.

“It’s always tough to narrow a squad down to just 15 players, but we’re confident we’ve picked a well-balanced side that’s well placed for the series against Pakistan and ready to challenge for a third consecutive T20 title,” Flegler said, with the same 15 set to play six games against Pakistan starting on January 16.

“Seeing Meg and Georgia back in action for Victoria has been exciting. Both bring a wealth of experience to the group, which is always crucial during major tournaments.

“Georgia, in particular, has had a tough run of injuries, but she’s shown a great deal of resilience and her return is a real boost for the side.”

We're ready for 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙩 👀🏆#T20WorldCup#AUSvPAKpic.twitter.com/lIOt6BOn8J

— Australian Women's Cricket Team 🏏 (@AusWomenCricket) January 9, 2023

Alyssa Healy will return from a calf injury and spinner Jess Jonassen has overcome a hamstring issue to rejoin the team.

Australia will begin its World Cup defence on February 12 against trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand before rounding out the pool games against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and South Africa.

AUSTRALIAN WORLD CUP SQUAD:

Meg Lanning (c), Alyssa Healy (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham.

AUSTRALIA’S WORLD CUP FIXTURES

12 February: Australia v New Zealand, 7pm local time (4am AEDT), Boland Park, Paarl

15 February: Australia v Bangladesh, 7pm local time (4am AEDT), St George‘s Park, Port Elizabeth

16 February: Sri Lanka v Australia, 3pm local time (12am AEDT), St George‘s Park, Port Elizabeth

19 February: South Africa v Australia, 7pm local time (4am AEDT), St George‘s Park, Port Elizabeth

Originally published as Australian squad for T20 World Cup defence locked in