Bess Heath, Freya Kemp, Danielle Gibson join England's squad for Women's T20 World Cup 2024

England's Women's T20 World Cup squad have been officially revealed, with wicketkeeper-batter Bess Heath and all-rounders Freya Kemp and Danielle Gibson earning their first call-ups to the prestigious event. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the squad ahead of the T20 World Cup, set to take place in the UAE this October. Veteran captain Heather Knight will lead the team for the fourth consecutive time in a T20 World Cup.

The squad remains largely unchanged from the team that faced New Zealand in a five-match T20I series in July, with only Lauren Filer missing out on the final selection. Despite her exclusion, Filer will join the squad for their preparation camp in Abu Dhabi from September 13 to 24. Twelve of the 15 players were part of the England team during the 2023 T20 World Cup in South Africa, with Lauren Winfield-Hill, Kate Cross, and Katherine Sciver-Brunt (retired) not making the 2024 cut. Danielle Gibson, while part of the 2023 squad, participated only as a travelling reserve.

Commenting on the squad, Heather Knight said, "World Cups are always special events to be involved in as a player, and I'm really excited by the squad we have selected to take over to the UAE. It's an honor to lead the team into another World Cup. We're looking forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead."

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Balanced squad with youth and experience

Jon Lewis, the head coach of the England women’s team, shared his thoughts on the selection process, highlighting the challenge of finalizing a squad from such a talented pool of players. "Selecting teams and squads with this group of players has become incredibly tricky and tough," Lewis said. "There are players who have been really unfortunate to miss out, and they'll be a big part of what we do with England Cricket in the future."

He added, "I feel the 15 players selected give us a really well-balanced squad in terms of experience, youth, and most importantly, the skills to cope and excel in the conditions we feel we will be faced with in the UAE."

Placed in Group B, England will kick off their campaign against Bangladesh on October 5, followed by a clash with South Africa on October 7. After a five-day break, they will face Scotland on October 13 and West Indies on October 15. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals, with England aiming to lift their first T20 World Cup trophy in this edition.

England squad for T20 World Cup

Heather Knight (c), Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Linsey Smith, Danni Wyatt