9 Jul 2015 | Cricket
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announced a 13-player England Women's Academy (EWA) squad to play a one-off 50-over match against Australia women on Sunday 19th July, at Taunton Vale.
Kent's Tammy Beaumont will captain a strong EWA side, which includes three other centrally contracted England women's players alongside Beaumont: off-spinner Danielle Hazell (Yorkshire), all-rounder Danielle Wyatt (Nottinghamshire) and left-arm seamer Natasha Farrant (Kent).
Also selected is sixteen-year-old left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone from Cheshire, who has been called-up from the England Women's Development Programme Under-19 squad, after impressing during the recent England women's performance squad matches and the pre-season batting and spin camp in Sri Lanka.
Commenting on the squad, England Women's Academy Head Coach, Lisa Keightley said:
For over half of the players in this England Women's Academy squad to already have full international experience illustrates the strength currently running through the England women's performance programme.
The 50-over match against the Australians represents a great opportunity for all of the players to test themselves against the current ICC Women's World Cup and World Twenty20 champions, and in particular for the younger players like Sophie Ecclestone, it represents the ideal chance to benchmark themselves against some of the best players in the world.
Following the one-day match on 19th July, the England Women's Academy will take on the Australians in a two-day game from 1st-2nd August at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough. The EWA squad for this fixture will be announced following the conclusion of the three Royal London Women's Ashes One-Day Internationals on 21st (Taunton), 23rd (Bristol) and 26th (Worcester) July.
You can see England Women take on the Southern Stars in the final game of this summer's Womens Ashes when the two teams meet as part of a NatWest International T20 double header in Cardiff on August Bank Holiday Monday. Tickets are still available, with the womens game starting at 10.30am followed by the men's game at 3pm as England and Australia meet for the only time in the shortest format of the game in the Welsh capital. Adult tickets from £30, juniors £10.
England Women's Academy squad to play Australia women in full: Tammy Beaumont+* (captain), Evelyn Jones, Fran Wilson*, Danielle Wyatt+*, Sophie Luff, Danielle Hazell+*, Georgia Adams, Jodie Dibble*,
Tash Farrant+*, Beth Langston*, Carla Rudd, Freya Davies, Sophie Ecclestone,
+Fully contracted England women's player
*Has made full international debut (Test / ODI / T20I)