Alana King not in Australia’s T20I Plans

Alana King, the leg-spinner, continues to be omitted from Australia‘s T20 International (T20I) squad, which remains unchanged for the limited-overs portion of South Africa’s upcoming multi-format tour starting at the end of January. King will, however, make a return for the three-match One Day International (ODI) series, with Grace Harris, who is part of the T20I squad, making way for her.

Despite her impressive record of 21 wickets at an average of 19.52 in 22 T20Is, King has not featured in the format since the group stage of last year’s World Cup in South Africa. Her absence persisted during the Ashes series against England, the home series against West Indies, and the recent tour of India.

Nevertheless, King has maintained her place in the 50-over side and made headlines with a delivery in the third ODI against India that drew comparisons to Shane Warne‘s famous “ball of the century.”

Australia’s selectors have also announced the squad for the Governor-General’s XI, which will face South Africa in a T20 warm-up match in Sydney on January 24. The squad includes promising young fast bowlers Milly Illingworth and Chloe Ainsworth, both of whom impressed with their performances in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL). The team will be captained by allrounder Sophie Molineux, who recently returned from a year-long layoff due to an ACL injury.

In addition to these developments, fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck is set to return to action for Victoria in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) after recovering from a shoulder injury. Meg Lanning, who took a break during the WBBL for personal reasons following her retirement from international cricket, has also been named in the Victoria squad.

The upcoming tour will consist of three T20Is to be played in Canberra and Hobart on January 27, 28, and 30, followed by the ODIs in Adelaide and Sydney on February 3, 7, and 10. The tour will conclude with a Test match, South Africa’s first against Australia, at the WACA from February 15-18.

Australia Squad for T20Is and ODIs vs. South Africa:

• Alyssa Healy (capt), Darcie Brown, Heather Graham, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King*, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham
• = T20Is only; ** = ODIs only

Governor-General’s XI Squad vs. South Africa:

• Sophie Molineux, Chloe Ainsworth, Maddy Darke, Amy Edgar, Tess Flintoff, Sianna Ginger, Milly Illingworth, Charli Knott, Courtney Sippel, Amy Smith, Georgia Voll, Private Kayla Stuchbree (Australian Defence Force)
• Stay updated with all the cricketing action, follow Cricadium on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram