JODIE fields will be captain in-waiting of the Australian women's team after being named deputy to Karen Rolton for the Women's Twenty20 World Cup.
Rolton has announced that she will retire following the competition in England.
Australia today named a mix of younger players to replace Rolton and other experienced women set to retire in the coming year.
The 14-player Australia women’s squad is:
Sarah Andrews NSW , Age 27
Alex Blackwell NSW 25
Jessica Cameron VIC 19
Lauren Ebsary WA 26
Rene Farrell WA 22
Jodie Fields (vc) QLD 24
Shelley Nitschke SA 32
Erin Osborne NSW 19
Ellyse Perry NSW 18
Kirsten Pike QLD 24
Leah Poulton NSW 25
Karen Rolton (c) SA 34
Lisa Sthalekar NSW 29
Elyse Villani VIC 19
The Women’s National Selection Panel has named Jodie Fields as vice-captain for the ICC World Twenty20 prior to taking the captaincy for the series against England immediately after the ICC World Twenty20 tournament. Alex Blackwell will be vice captain for the series against England.
Rolton has captained the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars since February 2006, taking over from Belinda Clark.
Women’s NSP Chair Margaret Jennings said: “There are two inclusions to the squad with Elyse Villani coming in and Kirsten Pike returning from injury which will add both youth and experience to the team. We’ve lost Emma Sampson and Leonie Coleman to retirement and Delissa Kimmince is the unlucky player to miss out on selection for this squad.
“Kirsten’s been out for 18 months and we’re looking for her previous experience to help guide us through.
“We’ve brought Elyse Villani into the squad. She is a promising young batter who plays an extremely attacking style of game and she will get an opportunity to show what she is capable of in the short form of the game.
“Karen Rolton will captain the ICC World Twenty20 team in England but has decided that it’s time to hand-over leadership to a new generation at the conclusion of the tournament.
“Jodie Fields will be vice captain for the World Twenty20 and will then take over the captaincy from Karen for the series against England in July.
“It’s a great credit to Karen and her leadership skills that she has decided to make this decision, which would not have been easy. She has provided a great opportunity for Jodie and Alex to continue building their leadership skills and she will also be there in England to support this hand-over,” Jennings said.
Rolton, who was described by CA CEO James Sutherland as a legend of the game, noted that it was a transitional period for the team and that she was looking forward to the ICC World Twenty20 and working closely with Jodie.
“I think it’s going to be good for the team. I obviously can’t play forever, but I’ll keep playing and try to help out Jodie and others in the team where ever I can,” Rolton said.
The ICC World Twenty20 in England will be the first such event for women’s cricket and Rolton said that all the players were looking forward to the experience.
“Everyone can’t wait, all the players are particularly excited about playing in a joint competition with the men’s team and hopefully having an opportunity for both teams to play in a final at Lords. This will be an outstanding achievement for Australian cricket.”
To help with preparation for the ICC World Twenty20, the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars will play a three-match Twenty20 Series against New Zealand in Brisbane from 1 -3 June.
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