Danielle Gibson and Issy Wong have been included in England’s squad for the forthcoming Twenty20 Women’s Ashes fixtures against Australia.
England lost the Test match on Monday and will be looking to bounce back in the three T20 matches, starting at Edgbaston on Saturday.
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England squad for Women’s Ashes T20 games
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Heather Knight (capt), Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Issy Wong, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Danielle Wyatt.
Heather Knight has handed the all-rounder Gibson her first full call-up for the shortest format of the game, while Wong is back after not being selected for the World Cup in February.
Jon Lewis, the head coach, said: “Danielle Gibson is selected for the first time in our T20 squad, she is in great form at regional level and has the potential to impact the game whenever she is called upon.
“Issy Wong returns to the T20 squad after her success in the Women’s Premier League with Mumbai Indians, it will be exciting to see how she has progressed and grown from those experiences. We look forward to playing these three matches and putting on a show for everyone to enjoy.”
After opening the T20 matches in Birmingham, the sides head to the Oval next Wednesday and Lord’s on 8 July, with each victory in each match of the format worth two points.
Fittingly, an all-female team of groundstaff has prepared the pitch for Saturday’s T20 at Edgbaston. The team, led by Meg Lay, sports turf operative at Gloucestershire CCC, came together as part of a drive to promote cricket careers for women and girls.
Lay, one of the first female groundstaff members in the country, and who learned her craft under Sean Williams at Bristol, is passionate about getting more women into the industry. “The sports turf industry is 98 per cent men,” she said. “Getting women involved isn’t an exercise in box ticking, it is absolutely necessary for women’s sport to continue to thrive.
“I love the job and the industry is incredibly welcoming. Being outside all day, and having world-class athletes play on pitches I have prepared is a real buzz. I could never go back to a ‘normal’ job.”
The rest of the team at Edgbaston are drawn from Arsenal FC, Hampshire, Essex, Yorkshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire CCC, Boconnoc CC and Queen Etthelburga’s College. Nearly 20,000 tickets have been sold in advance for the game.
