Australia have announced a 14-member squad for the three-match T20 tour of New Zealand, bereft of regular skipper Alyssa Healy, who continued to be on the sidelines with her rehabilitation from a right foot injury. All-rounder Tahlia McGrath will be in the box seat again as the stand-in captain while Beth Mooney will take the gloves behind the stumps but the selectors have handed Melbourne Renegades keeper-batter Nicole Faltum an international call-up, with an eye on the future.
Faltum, who switched loyalties from one Melbourne outfit to another ahead of the last year's WBBL had a fruitful season with the Renegades scoring 136 runs in the middle-order role while striking at 134.65. Georgia Voll will also continue to open in Healy's absence while the rest of the squad remains similar with Sophie Molineux and Tayla Vlaeminck also nursing their respective injuries.
"It's exciting to be able to bring Nicole into the squad, she's been a consistent performer over a long period of time and will provide a strong back-up option to Beth who will take the gloves during the series," national selector Shawn Flegler said. "While Beth was brilliant during the Ashes in Alyssa's absence, it's important we're continuing to look to the future and Nicole is certainly someone who we can see wearing the green and gold for a long period of time.
"Alyssa is unavailable for this series due to the foot injury she sustained during the Ashes.
"She's working diligently on her rehab with the aim to have her fit for the one-day World Cup later in the year," Flegler added.
The three-match T20I series begins on March 21 in Auckland with the squad set to assemble on March 18, three days after the final of the third edition of the Women's Premier League.
Australia women's squad for New Zealand T20Is: Tahlia McGrath (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicole Faltum, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham