T20 World Cup: Oz veteran Jess Jonassen misses out

Sydney: Pacer Darcie Brown, who has recovered from her foot injury, has been named in Australia’s 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup even as the defending champions left out experienced spinner Jess Jonassen. Brown, who pulled out of the tour of Bangladesh in March due to a foot injury, is now fully fit and will be joined by fellow pacer Tayla Vlaeminck.”The pace duo of Tayla and Darcie is one we’ve been wanting to unleash for a while and is a real point of difference for us,” selection chief Shawn Flegler said. The team, which will be vying for a fourth consecutive T20 title, will be led by Alyssa Healy while Tahlia McGrath will be her deputy in the tournament beginning in the UAE on October 3. “This is the first time in a long time we’ve had our entire contract list available for selection ahead of a World Cup and it’s resulted in a really stable and balanced squad,” Flegler said. Left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux and Grace Harris have also recovered from their injuries. However, left-arm spinner Jonassen has been left out of the squad again despite being the joint highest wicket-taker for Delhi Capitals in the Women’s Premier League and the third-highest wicket-taker in The Hundred earlier this month. She will miss a T20 World Cup for the first time since her debut in 2012, having featured in five tournament wins since then. Rising star Phoebe Litchfield will play in her first World Cup and Flegler said she will be “a real x-factor” within an experienced squad.