Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

Uncapped Heather Graham, Erin Burns in Australia squad for West Indies tour

Written by 
Published in Cricket
Thursday, 22 August 2019 21:59

Heather Graham and Erin Burns received their maiden international call-ups, with Australia women naming a 14-member squad for the upcoming six-match limited-overs tour of the Caribbean, beginning on September 5.

Senior batsman Elyse Villani and spin-bowling allrounder Sophie Molineux, who were both part of the victorious Ashes touring party last month, missed out. Molineux, one of the stand-out performers in the one-off Test on the Ashes tour, has a shoulder injury, while Villani's exclusion comes in the wake of her non-selection through the seven-match multi-format Ashes.

Opener Nicole Bolton, who did tour the UK for the Ashes after missing the previous series against New Zealand as part of her five-month break from the game, was unavailable for selection for the West Indies tour that will feature three ODIs and three T20Is.

Products of Australia's robust domestic and pathway set-ups, 23-year-old Graham and 31-year-old Burns were both part of the Australia A squad that toured the UK last month.

Batting allrounder Graham was named Domestic Player of the Year in February on the back of an impressive season with Western Australia and Perth Scorchers. In the 50-over Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) last season, Graham scored 294 runs at an average of 49 including one century and three fifties. In the T20 format, too, she made a mark, picking 22 wickets at an average of 16.95 for Scorchers in the WBBL, to jointly top the wicket-takers' chart with Brisbane Heat's Delissa Kimmince.

Burns, who recently signed up for New South Wales (NSW) Breakers, meanwhile, is a more experienced campaigner. Having played her age-group cricket in her native NSW, she moved to Tasmania and more recently to the Australian Capital Territory in 2018-19, before switching back to NSW, who offered her a contract for the 2019-20 summer.

In the WNCL last season, Burns, who bowls offspin, took ten wickets at an average of 19.2 and finished fourth on the wickets tally. As a middle-order batsman, she was a big contributor as Sydney Sixers made the WBBL 2018-19 final, making 250 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 129.53. Burns stood out with her fielding, too, having memorably put in a desperate dive to deny a victory-securing boundary off the final ball in a humdinger of a semi-final.

Speaking of the uncapped pair's inclusion, national selector Shawn Flegler said, "Heather was named the Domestic Player of the Year last season and was a member of the National Performance Squad as well as Australia's 'A' tour to England, so we know exactly what she is capable of with both bat and ball. Her skills with the ball will add further depth to the team's pace bowling stocks while her batting ability could see her play an important role in the middle-order.

"Erin has also been a stand-out performer at domestic level and has had to bide her time for a national call-up. A handy middle-order batter, her off-spin will help to fill the void created by the omission of Sophie Molineux."

Flegler stressed that the plan was to try out a pool of uncapped players who could potentially stake a claim for a place in the squad for the home T20 World Cup next year.

"These selections reinforce our desire to select players with a view to the T20 World Cup next year, who offer versatility, can play a designated role and offer skills in a number of different facets of the game," she said. "Elyse unfortunately couldn't force her way into the playing XI in the recent Ashes series and the selection panel believes the first round of WNCL is an ideal opportunity for her to redefine her batting and present a strong case for selection ahead of a busy summer.

"Nicole has made herself unavailable for selection and we are working closely with her and the WACA to provide her the support she needs as she continues to manage her health.

"Sophie will also miss the tour to give her the opportunity to focus on her shoulder rehab after a large workload over the last seven weeks. With a big season ahead, including the World Cup, it's important she gets her body 100 per cent right and this break will hopefully allow her to do that."

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (capt), Rachael Haynes (vice-capt), Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Heather Graham, Alyssa Healy (wk), Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

Read 417 times

Soccer

Germany set NL record with 7-0 rout of Bosnia

Germany set NL record with 7-0 rout of Bosnia

Germany dismantled visitors Bosnia and Herzegovina 7-0 on Saturday with a statement win and two goal...

Ronaldo makes retirement hint after record win

Ronaldo makes retirement hint after record win

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsCristiano Ronaldo discussed the timeline around his potential retir...

Ream: 'Easy' to have Weah back after Copa red

Ream: 'Easy' to have Weah back after Copa red

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsST. LOUIS -- U.S. men's national team defender Tim Ream said that i...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

Wembanyama (knee) misses Spurs' loss to Mavs

Wembanyama (knee) misses Spurs' loss to Mavs

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsDALLAS -- San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama missed Saturda...

Rivers laments refs 'blowing call' in Bucks' loss

Rivers laments refs 'blowing call' in Bucks' loss

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsCHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers criticized referees f...

Baseball

Ex-Reds manager Bell joins Blue Jays' front office

Ex-Reds manager Bell joins Blue Jays' front office

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsTORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays hired former Cincinnati Reds manag...

Ferrara, who won 2 titles with Dodgers, dies at 84

Ferrara, who won 2 titles with Dodgers, dies at 84

EmailPrintFormer outfielder Al "The Bull" Ferrara died Friday, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced. He...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated