England aim for continuity after late Women’s T20 World Cup venue change

England have announced their squad for the Women’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates in October. It includes 11 of the 15 players who reached the semi-finals of last year’s tournament in South Africa.

Linsey Smith, the 29‑year‑old spinner who was called back into the international team in March after an absence of nearly five years and whose previous experience of a World Cup was in 2018, has capped her return by winning a place alongside the all-rounder Freya Kemp, who is 10 years her junior.

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Jon Lewis ,the head coach, is optimistic about the team’s chances of success despite being blindsided by the decision last week to move the tournament from Bangladesh.

“We were really well prepared for ­Bangladesh,” Lewis said. “We didn’t see the change of venue coming, so we’d done a lot of preparation for the skills required there.

“But I feel like we’re ready and we’re confident and we’ve got a good chance. There’s a lot more to come from this team than they’ve ­produced in the seven years since they last won a World Cup.”

Bess Heath has been selected as the back-up wicketkeeper and along with Kemp, who returned recently from a back injury, she will also be in the squad for the one-day international series in Ireland next month. They are the only players in both selections.

“They’re two really young players, two really exciting talents,” Lewis said. “Giving them the opportunity to play cricket was the right thing. It’s nice to give Bess the opportunity to keep in an England shirt so she gets more comfortable doing it, and Freya, of all the players in the World Cup squad, was most disappointed about how she played in the Hundred. We’ve just given her the opportunity to play some cricket and get herself back into rhythm with her bowling.”

England squad: Heather Knight (Western Storm, capt), Lauren Bell (Southern Vipers), Maia Bouchier (Southern Vipers), Alice Capsey (South East Stars), Charlie Dean (Southern Vipers), Sophia Dunkley (South East Stars), Sophie Ecclestone (Thunder), Danielle Gibson (Western Storm), Sarah Glenn (The Blaze), Bess Heath (Northern Diamonds), Amy Jones (Central Sparks), Freya Kemp (Southern Vipers), Nat Sciver-Brunt (The Blaze), Linsey Smith (Southern Vipers), Danni Wyatt (Southern Vipers).

England's potential schedule: 5 Oct Bangladesh (Sharjah); 7 Oct South Africa (Sharjah); 13 Oct Scotland (Sharjah); 15 Oct West Indies (Dubai); 17 Oct Semi-final 1 (Dubai); 18 Oct Semi-final 2 (Sharjah); 20 October, Final (Dubai).

There is no room in the World Cup squad for the fast bowler ­Lauren Filer, although she will join the ­pre‑tournament training camp in Abu Dhabi, with Lewis deciding that given the conditions they are likely to face in the UAE “spinners are going to do the bulk of the work”.

Lewis said: “We’ve got some fantastic young fast ­bowlers who will be the next evolution of this team. When the young fast ­bowlers who are around our setup come through and start to win games on their own, that will be the next evolution.

“To win tournaments most of the time your most experienced ­players do most of the heavy ­lifting, but our young players are really starting to stamp their authority on international cricket and play some match‑defining roles.”