New Delhi, Jan 6 (IANS): Teenaged all-rounder Alice Capsey has been named in Englands 15-member squad for the Women's T20 World Cup, to be held from February 10-26 in South Africa. Alice, 18, is named in the squad as she continues her recovery post breaking her collarbone during the tour of the West Indies in December 2022.
"We hope Alice is fit enough, she's worked incredibly hard alongside the medical staff to get to this point and we'll give her every chance, but as we saw in the Caribbean the depth of talent and skill in the squad is growing fast and winning tournaments is about everyone collectively embracing the moment and enjoying the journey," said head coach Jon Lewis in an official statement.
Fast bowling all-rounder Kate Cross, who last played a T20I in 2019, is the only other addition to the squad which won all five T20Is over the West Indies in the Caribbean. Tearaway pacer Issy Wong and all-rounder Dani Gibson will join the group for the initial period in South Africa as travelling reserves.
"It's always exciting to name a World Cup squad, and there's a great deal of talent in this group. We saw a lot of good things in the West Indies, a lot of progress around shifting our mindset as a team, and I'm excited to see how we take that into the challenge of a global tournament."
"It's an honour for me to lead a team into a World Cup and I know that we will be giving it everything we have got, not only to show everyone who we are as a team and how we want to play but also to keep inspiring people to play the game we all love so much," added Lewis.
England, the winners of the inaugural Women's T20 World Cup in 2009, will play three warm-up fixtures against New Zealand before the official ICC warm-up games. In the main tournament, England are in Group B alongside India, Pakistan, Ireland and West Indies.
England squad: Heather Knight (captain), Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Katherine Brunt, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Danni Wyatt
Travelling Reserves: Issy Wong, Dani Gibson