Australia were sent to bat first in their 2022 World Cup opener at Hamilton’s Seddon Park after England captain Heather Knight won the toss.
Annabel Sutherland will fill Ashleigh Gardner’s position at No 7, after the versatile spin-bowler was ruled out of at least the first two World Cup matches after testing positive for COVID-19 shortly before the team’s departure from Christchurch.
The remaining Australian players and staff all produced negative COVID-19 tests on Friday, giving selectors a pool of 14 players to choose from.
Australia XI: Alyssa Healy (wk), Rachael Haynes, Meg Lanning (c), Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Annabel Sutherland, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown
England XI: Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Heather Knight (c), Natalie Sciver, Amy Jones (wk), Dani Wyatt, Sophia Dunkley, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross, Anya Shrubsole
Players from both teams will wear black armbands and observe a moment of silence before the game in memory of Rod Marsh and Shane Warne.
Sutherland and fellow all-round bowler Nicola Carey have played in Australia’s two most recent ODIs during the Ashes, but only entered the XI when Beth Mooney and Darcie Brown were rested, and therefore looked more likely to make place at Seddon Park on Saturday when the pair returned.
Even before Gardner’s unfortunate diagnosis, Sutherland had already made a compelling case to hold on to her place with an aggressive half-century in the first warm-up against the West Indies, as she won a career-best 4-31 in the third Ashes. ODI in Melbourne. .
England have reinstated Lauren Winfield-Hill at the top of the order alongside Tammy Beaumont, having replaced her with Emma Lamb for the last Ashes ODI.
Australia won the multi-format Ashes ODI leg 3-0 but manager Matthew Mott insisted it wouldn’t count for anything at Seddon Park.
“England have shown over a long period that they love playing tournaments, that they come at the right time and that’s why they are world champions at the moment,” Mott said.
“I would take it with a grain of salt, this Ashes series, tournament-wise, and we’ll have to do our best to overcome them.”
ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022
Australia team: 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. Traveling Reserves: Heather Graham, Georgia Redmayne
Australia 2022 World Cup schedule
March 5: v England, Seddon Park, Hamilton, 12.00pm AEDT
8 March : v Pakistan, Bay Oval, Tauranga, 12pm AEDT
March 13: v New Zealand, Basin Reserve, Wellington, 8:00 a.m. AEDT
March 15: v West Indies, Basin Reserve, Wellington, 8:00 AEDT
March 19: v India, Eden Park, Auckland, 12:00pm AEDT
March 22: v South Africa, Basin Reserve, Wellington, 8:00 a.m. AEDT
March 25: v Bangladesh, Basin Reserve, Wellington, 8:00am AEDT
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL WORLD CUP SCHEDULE
Semi-finals
March 30: Basin Reserve, Wellington, 8:00 a.m. AEDT
March, 31st : Hagley Park Christchurch, 12pm AEDT
Final
April 3: Hagley Park Christchurch, 11am AEDT
All matches will be shown in Australia on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports
