England Women announced their squads for next month’s tour of India today (November 10), and while there were no real surprises, there are some subtle yet significant takeaways.
These squads come off the back of an up and down summer in England. They wowed in the Ashes, producing the most thrilling series ever in the modern format but lost their T20I series to Sri Lanka, albeit with a more developmental squad. With a T20 World Cup less than a year away, the tour to India marks the start of the run into that tournament.
England will play three T20Is and a four-day Test in Mumbai. A 21-player England A squad has also been announced, 14 of whom will play three T20I fixtures against India A.
The most significant news that came out of the squad is that Sophie Ecclestone, having undergone surgery for a dislocated shoulder in August, is fit to return to training with the squad ahead of the tour. The rarity of England being able to play Tests in India means it’s a golden opportunity for the spin group – Ecclestone hasn’t played a Test in India in her six-year Test career.
The potential for spin on a dusty Mumbai deck has also paved the way for Alice Capsey to break into the Test squad. Her inclusion, and the overs with which she was entrusted with over the summer, point to potential, beyond her obvious quality with the bat, as more than a part-timer going forward. That will also put pressure on Charlie Dean, also in the Test squad. An all-round spinner such as Capsey adds an interesting dimension to England’s depth of spinners.
Another notable name in the Test squad is Bess Heath. After wowing during the Hundred and women’s domestic season with a couple of viral catches behind the stumps, and shown the power she can add at the end of an innings, there also could be pressure building on Amy Jones.
With scores of 13 and four in the Ashes Test over the summer, and an ODI average of 13.5 from both the series against Sri Lanka and Australia, Jones’ performances with the bat have raised questions over her future within the side. England aren’t short of options with the gloves. There’s Tammy Beaumont (still absent from the T20I squad) and Lauren Winfield-Hill who have international experience behind the stumps. But, in selecting a player with only one international cap to her name, there’s a possibility that Lewis and Co. could be grooming a more long-term successor to Jones, even if she is acting as a backup on this tour.
Having been included in all of this summer’s Ashes squads, Issy Wong has only been selected in the ‘A’ group this time around. After her disastrous return against Sri Lanka, there were limited other options for her immediate international future. With Lauren Filer and Mahika Gaur ahead of her in the Test and T20I squads respectively, it’s another place down the pecking order for Wong.
In terms of the T20I squad, despite Jon Lewis’s statement before the Sri Lanka series that Beaumont was still in his thoughts for a T20I return after a stellar summer in the format, there’s still no place for her in the squad. With time running out before the World Cup, and enough form behind her already perhaps to justify a recall, what more she needs to do or will get the opportunity to do is as unclear as ever.
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