Is a back-up keeper necessary? Is four spinners too many? Have Grace Harris and Lucy Hamilton done enough? These are the questions for Australia’s selectors
Massive calls loom for Australia’s selectors as they mull the best combination for their bid to reclaim lost silverware at the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Sophie Molineux will lead her country at a World Cup for the first time – provided she, as expected, overcomes the back ailment that restricted her to playing as a specialist batter on a recent tour of the Caribbean – at the tournament in England and Wales.
Australia’s squad will be revealed next week, when the players congregate in Brisbane for a training camp, and barring any unexpected injury setbacks, their 15-player squad is expected to contain few surprises given the settled group that took on India and West Indies earlier this year.
Australia took 14 players on the T20I leg of the West Indies trip, with Annabel Sutherland rested from the tour.
With the superstar allrounder poised to return, it leaves a selection squeeze – and the biggest questions surround hard-hitting middle-order batter Grace Harris, teenage left-arm quick Lucy Hamilton and leg-spinner Alana King.
King was left out of the T20I squad that played India in February but returned with a bang in the Caribbean. She was named player of the T20I series after taking five wickets at 11, with an economy rate of 5.5, and showed her versatility by taking on a role in the Powerplay.
It is likely King would feature in a 15-player World Cup squad as a fourth spinner alongside Molineux, Ashleigh Gardner and Georgia Wareham, and her performances this year should get her on the plane to England. What that means for Australia’s XI is another matter.
Speaking to reporters when CA revealed its contracted players’ list last month, Australia selector Shawn Flegler said of King: “What she’s done is keep putting her hand up for selection, she’s done really well.
“One of the things we need to look at is conditions … we’ve got a couple of early morning games in England, 10.30 in the morning, which ordinarily I’d say are not great times for spinning wickets in June in England … but certainly she’s put her hand up.”
Harris meanwhile is pushing for a return after being left out of the group that travelled to the West Indies. At the time, Flegler was adamant the Queenslander remained in World Cup contention and she is backed up by a strong recent record in England’s domestic competitions. Her powerful hitting could be a vital addition to a middle-order that has lacked finishing punch this year.
Hamilton, meanwhile, debuted across all three international formats in March and immediately impressed. Selectors like the variety she offers as a left-armer, but she is likely to be competing with Harris – or would need to nudge out another speedster or allrounder – to claim a World Cup berth.
“Lucy is definitely right in the mix,” Flegler said last month.
“Every game she’s played, she’s shown composure and a good skillset, (there’s) not many left-armers about so we’re keen to see that international level.
“Whoever misses out is going to be really unlucky, because there’s a number of players who put their hand up, whether it’s Alana (King), there’s a few allrounders in the mix there and some pace bowlers … so there’s going to be a couple of unlucky players, for sure.”
Another question is whether Australia will include a reserve wicketkeeper, which they did not for either of their T20I squads this year following the retirement of Alyssa Healy.
Taking the same approach into a World Cup is a riskier prospect given the stricter rules on bringing in replacement players. However Phoebe Litchfield has emerged as a potential stop-gap option should injury or illness temporarily sideline Beth Mooney.
During the home series against India, Litchfield spent time working with Tim Paine on her glovework, expressing her eagerness to upskill. “I know that having back-up ‘keeper on your resume is somewhat beneficial,” she told cricket.com.au at the time.
“For Australia, having that option, then it clears up a spot (in the squad) for potentially a bowler or a batter, if need be.”
Australia’s men took the same approach into their own T20 World Cup campaign earlier this year, with Glenn Maxwell the primary contingency plan to take the gloves if needed.
ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026
Australia squad: TBC
Australia’s Group 1 fixtures
June 13: v South Africa, Old Trafford, Manchester, 11:30pm AEST
June 17: v Bangladesh, Headingly, Leeds, 7:30pm AEST
June 20: v Netherlands, Rose Bowl, Hampshire, 7:30pm AEST
June 24: v Pakistan, Headingly, Leeds, 3:30am AEST
June 28: v India, Lord’s, London, 11:30pm AEST
Semi-final 1: The Oval, London, June 30, 11:30pm AEST
Semi-final 2: The Oval, London, July 2 (3:30am July 3 AEST)
Final: Lord’s, London, July 5, 11:30pm AEST
Click here for the full tournament schedule
All matches will be broadcast on Amazon’s Prime Video
