Tahlia McGrath to lead Australia A against India A

All-rounder Tahlia McGrath will lead the Australia ‘A’ women’s cricket team in the limited-overs home series against India ‘A’ starting December 12 in Brisbane.

The tour, which is a key step in Cricket Australia’s expanded female pathway program, is part of a four-year agreement with India that has already seen Australia ‘A’ tour the sub-continent late last year.

According to a Cricket Australia statement, Australia will host an international women’s ‘A’ team for the first time.

The two countries will play three One Day matches in Brisbane followed by as many Twenty20s in Gold Coast.

“For some players this tour will give them the opportunity to continue to push their case for national selection with several having already had a taste of international cricket. For others it’s an opportunity to continue to develop and gain further experience at this level,” Australia’s national selector Shawn Flegler said.

Australia is set to host the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup starting in February next year and the defending champions will be hoping for strong show in the tournament.

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“With a T20 World Cup early next year and an ODI World Cup the following year, it’s exciting to see so many talented youngsters coming through the pathway and performing well and this tour is really going to test them against what we expect to be a strong Indian side,” Flegler said.

“The squads have been selected with a long-term view to the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand in 2021 while also rewarding those players who have demanded selection through strong domestic performances,” he added.

ODI A squad: Maitlan Brown, Heather Graham, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (c), Bridget Patterson, Georgia Redmayne, Sammy Jo Johnson, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland, Rachel Trenaman, Belinda Vakarewa, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Tahlia Wilson.

T20 A squad: Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Josie Dooley, Heather Graham, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (c), Bridget Patterson, Sammy Jo Johnson, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland, Belinda Vakarewa, Elyse Villani, Amanda-Jade Wellington.