Jade Clarke leads inexperienced England squad to South Africa as host of big-name stars take time out

Jade Clarke, England’s most capped player, will lead an inexperienced squad to South Africa later this month after throwing herself straight back into international netball for England’s first assignment since the disappointment of finishing third at this summer’s World Cup.

Serena Guthrie, the regular England captain, Jo Harten, Helen Housby, Chelsea Pitman, Eboni Usoro-Brown and Geva Mentor are among England’s senior players currently taking time away from international netball after the culmination of a four-year cycle that ended in missing out on a home World Cup final in Liverpool. But 36-year-old centre Clarke, who made her international debut in 2002 and has 169 caps for her country, has decided to continue immediately in an England dress.

With no captain officially named for new head coach Jess Thirlby’s first competitive assignment, Clarke, who was vice-captain for the World Cup campaign, is a leading candidate to take charge of a squad containing a number of new faces.

Sophie Drakeford-Lewis, named 2019 Superleague young player of the year, heads an inexperienced contingent that also includes George Fisher, Razia Quashie and former Australia defender Kate Shimmin, who will represent England for the first time after switching allegiance earlier this summer.

Natalie Haythornthwaite, Fran Williams and Nat Panagarry are the only other members of England’s World Cup squad to retain their places alongside Clarke, while Australia-based Stacey Francis has made herself available for selection for the first time in two years.

England beat South Africa to bronze the last time the two sides met at the World Cup in July and the two teams will face each other on consecutive days in Cape Town on November 29, 30 and December 1.

“We have a real mix of talent in this squad, including some players with extensive experience of competing in the England setup and who most importantly know how to operate on the international stage, as well as some who are very new to it and have a bright future ahead,” said Thirlby.

“Having this variety is really important in a team as the newer faces bring lots of energy and excitement to this environment and will also benefit from rubbing shoulders with their more experienced team-mates.”

England squad for South Africa tour

George Fisher, Natalie Haythornthwaite, Stacey Francis, Eleanor Cardwell, Jade Clarke, Kate Shimmin, Kadeen Corbin, Laura Malcolm, Fran Williams, Sophie Drakeford-Lewis, Nat Panagarry, Razia Quashie