AUSTRALIA WOMEN'S TEAM Vlaeminck makes long-awaited return for Bangladesh tour
Monday, 26 Feb 2024 18:30 pm

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Tayla Vlaeminck has had a rough run with injuries.

Fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck has been picked in the Australian women's squad for the Bangladesh tour and is in the frame to play her first match for the national side in over two years. The 25-year-old has had a wretched run with injuries including a shoulder dislocation last July while playing for Australia A.

The selectors have dropped left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen from both the ODI and T20I squads. In recent months, Jonassen had lost her spots in the playing XI across formats. She played her last ODI in July 2023 and was dropped from the T20I side in October. Sophie Molineux was preferred in the XI for the one-off Test against South Africa this month.

Molineux, who returned to the side for the first time since October 2021 after recovering from a stress fracture and a ruptured ACL, has been included in the limited-over squads.

Squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris (T20Is only), Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (vc), Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Tayla Vlaeminck

"Tayla has put in a mountain of work over the past six months after a disappointing setback in England," CA's Head of Performance for women's cricket and National Selector, Shawn Flegler, said. "She has shown terrific positivity and resilience throughout her recovery and we're looking forward to seeing her back in Australian colours.

"Sophie was an all-format player for Australia before her injuries, she's missed a significant amount of cricket over the past two years but since her return she has barely missed a beat and this tour is another great step for her."

The series kicks off on March 21 with the teams scheduled to play three ODIs and three T20Is. This will be Australia's first bilateral series in Bangladesh and will help them prepare for the T20 World Cup that is scheduled to be held there in September.

All matches at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BC) have announced will be played at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium as the hosts for all six games of the Australia women's white-ball tour, the ODI series of which is part of the 2022-25 ICC Women's Championship.

The series will get underway with the first ODI on March 21, with the visitors arriving on March 17. The second and third ODIs are scheduled on March 24 and 27 respectively, while the three T20Is are scheduled on March 31, April 2 and April 4.