Australia announce squad for U19 Women's T20 World Cup

Australia , December 13 : Australia named a 15-player squad for the next month's ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa.

A handful of talented Australians, who recently finished their Under 19 national championships in Perth, have been selected to compete in the inaugural Under 19 event next month.

Also Read: Karnataka reports first case of Zika , 5 year-old-girl tests positive

Up to eight members of the Australian team have played domestic cricket before, and it is anticipated that important batter Claire Moore and spinners Ella Hayward and Amy Smith would be able to carry over their strong state performances to the South African competition.

 "The Under 19 World Cup provides players with an exceptional development opportunity, and we look forward to watching our team on the world stage. Our squad has several players who have experienced professional cricket environments, but the final selection for the World Cup was based on overall performances across a variety of competitions. Inevitably, there were difficult selection decisions, but we will continue to support and monitor the development of all players in our pathway systems," Cricket Australia's Head of Women's Performance Shawn Flegler said in an official statement.

Australia are drawn in Group A alongside Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the USA and will require a top-three finish in their group to progress to the Super Six stage of the tournament.

Australia squad: Chloe Ainsworth, Jade Allen, Charis Bekker, Paris Bowdler, Maggie Clark, Sianna Ginger, Lucy Hamilton, Ella Hayward, Milly Illingworth, Eleanor Larosa, Rhys McKenna, Claire Moore, Kate Pelle, Amy Smith, Ella Wilson. Non-travelling reserves: Paris Hall, Samira Dimeglio, Sara Kennedy, Olivia Henry and Ananaya Sharma. 

 Also Read: Kuldeep Singh Chahal relieved as Chandigarh SSP with immediate effect