Speedster returns to Aussie squad, veteran left out

Tayla Vlaeminck will get the chance to restart her international career after being returned to the Australian fold for the national women's team's first visit to Bangladesh in a decade.

But veteran allrounder Jess Jonassen's international career is at a crossroads after she was left out of the squad that will play three ODIs and three T20s on a two-week tour.

It's the first time a fully-fit Jonassen has been left out of an Australian touring party since her international debut in 2012.

The 31-year-old Queenslander has previously only missed tours due to injury, and the latest omission comes after she has dropped out of Australia's XI for all three formats in recent months.

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris (T20s only), Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (vc), Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Tayla Vlaeminck

Jonassen was left "gutted" this month when she was overlooked for a spot in the XI for Australia's Test against South Africa in favour of Sophie Molineux, having earlier been dropped from the T20I side during the October series against West Indies, while her last ODI was in Dublin last July.

Molineux, a surprise inclusion in Australia's squad for the WACA Test match after a two-and-a-half-year absence, joins Vlaeminck in Australia's squad for both white-ball formats in Bangladesh, a trip that doubles as a fact-finding mission ahead of this year's T20 World Cup in the country in September.

Vlaeminck's return to the squad caps her latest comeback from a luckless run of injuries, having returned to action with Victoria to play five of their final six games of the WNCL season this year.

The 25-year-old dislocated her non-bowling shoulder while bowling during an Australia A match in England last July. The innocuous action that led to the dislocation and the likelihood of it reoccurring meant surgery.

That Australia A tour had been Vlaeminck's return from a second serious foot injury.

The Victorian was diagnosed with a stress fracture in her navicular bone during the last home Ashes in January 2022 and subsequently missed the ODI World Cup in New Zealand, 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the 2023 T20 World Cup in South Africa.

Her first brush with the same injury ruled her out of the home T20 World Cup in 2020.

CA's Head of Performance for women's cricket and National Selector, Shawn Flegler, said he was delighted to see Vlaeminck and Molineux return to the limited-overs formats.

"Tayla has put in a mountain of work over the past six months after a disappointing setback in England," 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."

Leg-spinner Alana King will also play in both formats in the subcontinent conditions, having been omitted for the home T20s against South Africa and West Indies.

Heather Graham has also been omitted from the tour after being involved in the home series against West Indies and South Africa. The seam-bowling allrounder was called up to the ODI squad as injury cover for Darcie Brown during the Windies series, but played just one T20, against the Proteas, where her three wicketless overs went for 30 runs.

"We've tried to pick a balanced squad with multiple bowling options and, unfortunately for Jess and Heather, they have missed out on this occasion," Flegler added in a statement.

"While we know both will be disappointed to miss out on selection, they're exceptional cricketers who are highly valued by our group and we certainly haven't counted them out of future opportunities.

"With a T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September, this tour provides a vital opportunity for our players to experience and familiarise themselves with the conditions and wickets we're likely to face later in the year."

The only previous visit to Bangladesh for Australia's women came in 2014 when they won that year's T20 World Cup, making the upcoming series Australia's first bilateral tour to Bangladesh.

All six matches will be held between March 21 and April 4, with the ODI leg first, and will be played at the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.

The ODIs are part of the ICC Women's Championship for direct qualification to the 2025 Women's Cricket World Cup in India.

CommBank Tour of Bangladesh

March 21: First ODI, Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (2:30pm AEDT)

March 24: Second ODI, Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (2:30pm AEDT)

March 27: Third ODI, Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (2:30pm AEDT)

March 31: First T20I, Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (5:00pm AEDT)

April 2: Second T20I, Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (5:00pm AEDT)

April 4: Third T20I, Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (5:00pm AEDT)

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris (T20s only), Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (vc), Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Tayla Vlaeminck