Meg Lanning, Ellyse Perry, and an Alyssa Healy who has recovered from injury will lead the charge for Australia as they attempt to defend their women’s Twenty20 World Cup championship, which was announced on Tuesday.
The five-time world champions are considered to be among the favourites to win the competition that will take place in South Africa in one month. Their team will receive an additional boost when leg-spinner Georgia Wareham makes her comeback after missing a significant amount of time due to an injury.
The wicketkeeper Healy has been having trouble playing due to a calf injury that she sustained in December while in India. Despite this, she was named in the 15-woman team and is expected to play.
At the Melbourne Cricket Ground, in front of more than 86,000 spectators, Australia defeated India by a score of 85 runs to win the Twenty20 World Cup in the year 2020.
Meg Lanning is back in charge of the team after concluding an indefinite vacation lasting many months late last month. This dispelled concerns that she had already played her final international match.
After leading Australia to a frenetic streak of victories, the record-breaking 30-year-old revealed in August that she would be retiring from the game to “concentrate on myself.” This decision came after she had broken numerous records in the sport.
“It’s always difficult to reduce a squad down to just 15 players,” said Shawn Flegler, who was in charge of the national selection process. “But we’re sure that we’ve picked a well-balanced side.”
It’s been fantastic to watch Meg Lanning and Georgia get back into the swing of things for Victoria. Both of them provide a wealth of expertise to the team, which is something that is usually quite valuable during large competitions.
“Georgia, in particular, has had a rough run of injuries,” but “she has showed a great degree of tenacity and her return is a tremendous lift for the side,” the coach said.
The 12th of February will mark the beginning of Australia’s defence of their World Cup title against New Zealand, which will be followed by group games against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and South Africa.
Before heading to South Africa, Australia will get themselves ready for the match by playing Pakistan at home in a one-day and Twenty20 series.
Meg Lanning is the captain of the Australian team, which also includes Alyssa Healy, Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, and Georgia Wareham. Georgia Wareham is also on the squad.