Georgia Wareham earns a surprise call-up as Australia announce squad for ICC Women's T20 World Cup

Australia have sprung a selection surprise by including leg-spinner Georgia Wareham in their 15-player squad for the upcoming ICC Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa.

Wareham suffered an ACL tear in October 2021 and hasn't featured for the national team since then. The leg-spinner returned to action last week when she turned up for Victoria in the domestic one-day competition and has been picked ahead of Amanda-Jade Wellington.

Meg Lanning also made a comeback to the squad after a six-month break from the game. Apart from these two changes, the defending champions have retained the same squad that traveled to India for a T20 series late last year.

Wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy has also been named in the squad and is expected to recover from the side strain she suffered in India.

Australia’s T20 World Cup squad: Meg Lanning (c), Alyssa Healy (vc/wk), 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.

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"We’re confident we’ve picked a well-balanced side" - Australia's national selector Shawn Flegler

Chairman of selectors Shawn Flegler is confident that Australia have picked a strong squad that can defend the title in South Africa. He added that the inclusion of Lanning and Wareham will strengthen the squad.

"It's always tough to narrow a squad down to just 15 players," Flegler said while addressing reporters. "But we're confident we've picked a well-balanced side that's well-placed for the series against Pakistan and ready to challenge for a third consecutive T20 title.

"Seeing Meg and Georgia back in action for Victoria has been exciting. Both bring a wealth of experience to the group, which is always crucial during major tournaments. Georgia in particular, has had a tough run of injuries, but she's shown a great deal of resilience and her return is a real boost for the side."

Australia will begin their title defense against New Zealand on February 12, before taking on Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and South Africa in their remaining group-stage games.

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