Lesson learned in ‘more balanced’ World Cup squad

Australia head selector Shawn Flegler is confident Australia's injury-hit bowling attack still has the depth and variety to avoid a repeat of their shock 2017 exit at the upcoming ODI World Cup in New Zealand.

The No.1 ranked Australians named a 15-player squad for the tournament in New Zealand on Wednesday that was without key Victorians Tayla Vlaeminck (foot), Sophie Molineux (foot) and Georgia Wareham (ACL).

It created the chance for leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington and off-spinning allrounder Grace Harris to be recalled to the national side.

In 2017, strong favourites Australia were bundled out by India in the semi-finals, with criticism levelled at the balance of their side throughout, and in the aftermath of the tournament.

They fielded five bowlers in each game, with part-timer Elyse Villani presenting Meg Lanning's back-up option when things went awry (despite having never bowled at international level until late 2016).

It was the defeat that launched a thousand allrounders, as Australia sought to ensure Lanning would thereafter be spoilt for choice; Sophie Molineux, Nicola Carey and Annabel Sutherland all debuted over the next three years, and Tahlia McGrath was recalled.

The balance of the side was something coach Matthew Mott and his team immediately rectified in their next ODI series – the 2017 Ashes – several months later, shifting the make-up of their XI to include (at least) one extra bowling option and one fewer specialist batter.

This year's squad includes five strong spin options (an increase of one from the 2017 group), including one left-armer in Jess Jonassen, leg-spinners Alana King and Amanda-Jade Wellington, and off-spin bowling allrounders Ashleigh Gardner and Grace Harris.

Australia took four pace bowlers – two of those the uncapped Belinda Vakarewa and Sarah Aley – to the 2017 tournament, and only once did they use more than two of those in the same game, with Megan Schutt and Ellyse Perry the regular quicks in the line-up.

Schutt and Perry will travel to New Zealand next month with a strong crop of young pace talent despite the absence of Vlaeminck – Darcie Brown, McGrath, Carey and Sutherland would all be expected to play roles across the seven rounds matches and potential finals.

"It's definitely more balanced, there are more bowling options," Flegler said this week.

"We left ourselves a little bit short with our bowling options in 2017.

"We feel we've developed that over the last few years, we've got bowlers who can bowl in all conditions."

Australia opted not to replace Vlaeminck with another quick, instead replacing the right-arm fast bowler and left-arm orthodox bowler Molineux with two spin options in Harris and Wellington.

"We had to adapt our thinking a little bit to the make-up of the team and the make-up of the squad," Flegler said.

"Tayla is very unique in the way she bowls, there's not a like-for-like replacement for her, so that changed our thinking a little bit (by adding Harris and Wellington) … we just thought, what else do we need that will cover conditions and match-ups through the tournament.

"Nic Carey can bowl on low, slow wickets, Schutter is one of the best opening and death bowlers in the world, we've got outright pace bowlers and some change-up bowlers as well, and Tahlia McGrath has just been outstanding the last couple of series and swings the ball up front.

"We feel like we've got a lot more balanced squad this time around."

Meanwhile, Flegler said by far the toughest call the selectors had to make when finalising their squad was ruling out Sophie Molineux.

The left-arm spinner suffered a stress fracture to her left foot during WBBL|07 and it was hoped she would be fit for the World Cup despite missing the Ashes.

However, a 10-day stint of hotel quarantine upon arrival in New Zealand made it a bridge too far, creating space for Wellington's recall. 

"We left it to the last moment, it was touch and go," Flegler said, adding the Victorian would only have been available towards the end of the tournament.

"There is 10 days in quarantine when we can't train.

"For Soph to continue rehab and getting the work she needed, that was always a consideration we took into account.

"That made it tougher for her. It wouldn't have been fair on her."

Women's ODI World Cup 2022

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Amanda-Jade Wellington. Travelling reserves: Hannah Darlington, Georgia Redmayne

Australia's ODI World Cup 2022 fixtures

Mar 5: v England, Seddon Park, Hamilton, 12pm AEDT

Mar 8: v Pakistan, Bay Oval, Tauranga, 12pm AEDT

Mar 13: v New Zealand, Basin Reserve, Wellignton, 8am AEDT

Mar 15: v West Indies, Basin Reserve, Wellignton, 8am AEDT

Mar 19: v India, Eden Park, Auckland, 12pm AEDT

Mar 22: v South Africa, Basin Reserve, Wellignton, 8am AEDT

Mar 25: v Bangladesh, Basin Reserve, Wellignton, 8am AEDT

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL WORLD CUP SCHEDULE

Semi-finals

Mar 30: Basin Reserve, Wellington, 8am AEDT

Mar 31: Hagley Park Christchurch, 12pm AEDT

Final

Apr 3: Hagley Park Christchurch, 11am AEDT

All matches broadcast exclusively in Australia on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports.