Australia name squad to face England in multi-format series

Australia have named their squad of 15 to face England in the Women's Ashes series starting 20 January.

The announcement sees the return of all-rounder Jess Jonassen and medium-fast bowler Megan Schutt.

Uncapped leg-spinner Alana King has received her first call-up in favour of Amanda-Jade Wellington, while Stella Campbell misses out.

The multi-format series features three T20 games on consecutive days followed by a Test match and three ODIs.

Schutt missed Australia's series against India because of maternity leave, while Jonassen was injured. Further injuries have meant that spinners Georgia Wareham and Sophie Molineux miss out. Wareham is also set to miss the Commonwealth Games in July.

Selector Shawn Flegler described it as "a tough selection process" given the strong performances of many contenders in the Big Bash tournament.

"But we're confident we've selected a balanced, all-round squad with players who can perform across all three formats," he said.

A victory in the ODIs and T20s earn two points, while the one-off Test match is worth four points. Australia hold the Ashes after a 12-2 victory in England in 2019. The 2017 series in Australia was drawn 8-8.

Australia squad: Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Hannah Darlington, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Meg Lanning (capt), Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck