Fit-again all-rounder Ellyse Perry and potential debutant Maitlan Brown have been included in an 18-player squad for Australia’s limited-overs series against New Zealand.
A hamstring injury forced Perry to miss the victory over India in the Twenty20 World Cup final, which was played in front of 86,174 fans at the MCG on 8 March.
Perry has since recovered from surgery and is on track to take part in the trans-Tasman series, which will mark Australia’s first hit-out since the T20 World Cup.
New Zealand’s tour is slated to start with a T20 at North Sydney Oval on 27 September, but Cricket Australia reiterated on Friday that the schedule for the series could change because of Covid-19.
The health crisis forced selectors to name a larger group than normal for the three ODIs and three T20s, creating a golden opportunity for Brown.
The 23-year-old fast bowler is on the cusp of an international debut after shifting from NSW to the ACT in pursuit of an opportunity at domestic level.
Perry has been included in the squad, subject to fitness, but pace bowler Tayla Vlaeminck will miss both the trans-Tasman series and WBBL because of a foot injury.
“Ellyse is progressing well from a significant hamstring injury and we want to give her every chance to be available for selection,” national selector Shawn Flegler said. “We’ll continue to monitor her progress over the coming weeks.
“Tayla has had a slight setback in her return … our initial plans were to get her back for the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand.
“Now that’s been postponed we’ll take a conservative approach with her and give her as much time as she needs to get her body right.”
Australia’s 18-player squad: Meg Lanning (captain), Rachael Haynes, Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry (subject to fitness), Megan Schutt, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Belinda Vakarewa.