Sophie Ecclestone has been named in England’s Test and T20 squads for their upcoming tour of India, as she steps up her return from shoulder surgery, but there is no spot for 21-year-old pace bowler Issy Wong.
Ecclestone suffered the injury while on duty for Manchester Originals in The Hundred in August, but the No 1 ranked bowler in world cricket is in line to return for the team on the December tour of India which includes three T20 internationals and a one-off, four-day Test match.
Wong burst onto the international scene in 2022 when making her debut in all three formats, while she also took a hat-trick in the Women’s Premier League earlier this year, but she struggled for form this summer, playing only once for England in a IT20 defeat to Sri Lanka due to problems with her run-up.
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Tammy Beaumont says England will support Issy Wong as the bowler struggles for form and has backed the 21-year-old to come back stronger.
She has been included in an England Women’s A squad for a training camp in Oman (November 12-25) ahead of their three T20 fixtures against India A. Heather Knight’s team will also travel to Oman (November 17-December 2) for a training camp before their opening IT20 fixture.
Following surgery for a stress fracture of the lumbar spine in June, Tash Farrant is included in the A squad, where she will continue to progress her return to competitive bowling.
Fast bowlers Mahika Gaur and Lauren Filer are also among those preparing with the A group following their breakthrough summers, but have also been included in the T20 and Test squads, respectively.
Filer impressed greatly on her Test debut against Australia at Trent Bridge, bowling with great pace while taking four wickets.
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Lauren Filer picked up the wickets of Ellyse Perry and Tahlia McGrath in quick succession during her impressive Test debut in the Women’s Ashes.
Beaumont again misses out on T20 selection
Tammy Beaumont, who cracked a Test double-hundred against Australia in the Ashes Test match at Trent Bridge this summer, has been named in England’s Test squad but has not been included for the T20 leg of the tour, keeping her stranded on 99 IT20 caps. The last of those came in January 2022.
Tammy Beaumont was the second-leading run-scorer in The Hundred this year, with 290 at an average of 41.42, but she hasn’t played T20 cricket for England since January 2022
Wicketkeeper batter Bess Heath has been selected in both groups after making her senior debut in England’s ODI series against Sri Lanka in September. Nineteen-year-old allrounder Alice Capsey is also in line to earn her first Test cap, after impressing in the white-ball formats since making her debut in 2022.
England will play three IT20s at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and a four-day Test match at the DY Patil Stadium as they tour India for the first time since 2019.
“If I get another go it would be amazing, it would be my 100th cap. But I have made peace with the fact that if I never play another T20 for England I have gone out my way.”
Head coach Jon Lewis said: “We have a nice blend of youth and experience. It’s an exciting squad and a group that is ready to take on the challenge of what will be a really tough series in India.
“We haven’t toured India for a number of years. We have players who have experienced playing in the Women’s Premier League but many haven’t played international cricket there before. Playing in Indian conditions is great preparation for our next two World Cups in the subcontinent and will be an amazing learning opportunity for both the players and the staff.”
Elsewhere, Chris Liddle has been appointed as the new performance pace bowling coach with the England women’s team.
The 39-year-old arrives from Northamptonshire where he was assistant head coach and lead fast bowling coach. He also worked with London Spirit women’s coaching team for the past two years in The Hundred.
England Women squads
IT20 squad: Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Mahika Gaur, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Heather Knight (captain), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danielle Wyatt
Test match squad: Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Heather Knight (captain), Emma Lamb, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danielle Wyatt
England Women A squad for Oman training camp: Hollie Armitage, Hannah Baker, Alice Davidson-Richards, Georgia Davis, Charlie Dean, Tash Farrant, Lauren Filer, Mahika Gaur, Kirstie Gordon, Liberty Heap, Freya Kemp, Emma Lamb, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Kalea Moore, Sophie Munro, Grace Potts, Grace Scrivens, Seren Smale, Rhianna Southby, Mady Villiers, Issy Wong
England tour of India fixtures
England Women
Wednesday 6 December: India v England (First IT20), Wankhede Stadium
Saturday 9 December: India v England (Second IT20), Wankhede Stadium
Sunday 10 December: India v England (Third IT20), Wankhede Stadium
Thursday 14 December – Sunday 17 December: Test match, DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
England Women A
Wednesday 29 November: India A v England A, Wankhede Stadium
Friday 1 December: India A v England A, Wankhede Stadium
Sunday 3 December: India A v England A, Wankhede Stadium
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