Javeria Khan, the Pakistani star, has been named head of an international women’s development team touring six Twenty20 games on a tour of England
Players from seven countries compete in the third WGDS squad to compete against world-class players during a week-long tour of England
Pakistani star dough Javeria Khan has been named head of the Multi-National Women’s Global Development Squad, which will play six Twenty20 games on an England tour, including two against the ECB Super League teams Southern Vipers and Surrey Stars ,
The International Cricket Council today announced the third WGDS squad to bring more attention to players from outside the leading countries and improve the standard of women’s games. The WGDS tour through England is organized in cooperation with the ECB. The two previous WGDS programs were conducted in Australia (November 2018) and England (July 2018).
Scotland has the most players with Abtaha Maqsood, Hannah Rainey and Becky Glen in the squad. Bangladesh (fast bowling all-rounder Jahanara Alam and top dough Fargana Hoque) and Papua New Guinea (wicketkeeper Brenda Tau and all-rounder Ravini Oa) each have two players in the team, German all-rounder Christina Gough, Irish leg-spinner Celeste Raack, the Dutch top – Player Denise van Deventer and the American Sugetha Chandhrasekar complete the line-up.
These promising players, all of whom have qualified for their national teams, will compete against New Zealand star Suzie Bates and West Indian all-rounder Stafanie Taylor of Southern Vipers, while Surrey Stars will feature a South African trio of Marizanne Kapp, Dane van Niekerk and Lizelle Lee.
Javeria believes that the players in her team will learn a lot during her busy schedule and hopes to pass on her knowledge to her.
Javeria Khan:
“I consider it a real honor to be selected as captain of the Women’s Global Development Squad, and it has always been my desire to use such opportunities, and I am sure that this new and exciting opportunity paves the way for much learning I want to continue to improve my game and share my experiences with the members of my squad while working to improve my own mental and professional game.
“I look forward to enjoying and experiencing camaraderie with players of various nationalities gathering for the event. This program will not only introduce me to their culture, but also their approach to the game. I would also like to share my knowledge of the game that I have gained through representing my country throughout the world in some of the biggest stages of women’s cricket.
Holly Colvin, cricket manager of ICC Women, says that the expanded third edition of the WGDS will give players more opportunities to learn and develop on and off the field.
Holly Colvin: “Women’s cadres for global development play a key role in spreading the game. They enable high-performance players from outside the top 8 teams to develop their skills and close the gap to leading players of the generation. The ICC Women’s Championship has improved the quality of the game for the eight leading teams, and it is important that we now close the gap between them and the next-best teams.
“We named Javeria captain because we felt it was important for an experienced player to lead the team and communicate the nuances of the game on the pitch. There is nothing like learning first-hand and I’m sure the other players will learn a lot from her.
“The gaming experience, the culture and the background of this team are very diverse and I look forward to the team growing over the week, especially as they have the freedom to speak out on the pitch.”
“It is really important that the ICC and its members support high-performance initiatives to continue to develop talented players. It will be a fantastic preparation for the ICC Women’s World Cup qualification T20, which will take place in Scotland from August 31 to September 7, 2019, and I look forward to seeing these players in action at this tournament. “
Charlotte Edwards
The former English captain and director of Women’s Cricket at The Ageas Bowl is looking forward to the WGDS squad.
Charlotte Edwards
“The Southern Vipers are excited to welcome the WGDS team to the Aldershot CC games. It will be great preparation for our players as we enter KSL this year. It is a fantastic initiative by the ICC to give players from all over the world the chance to play in England. We are looking forward to both games.
The WGDS squad:
Javeria Khan (Pakistan, captain), Jahanara Alam, Fargana Hoque (both Bangladesh), Christina Gough (Germany), Celeste Raack (Ireland), Denise van Deventer (Netherlands), Brenda Tau, Ravini Oa (both PNG), Abtaha Maqsood, Hannah Rainey, Becky Glen (all Scotland), Sugetha Kalyanaraman Chandhrasekar (USA). Coach: Michael Ndiko (Uganda); Mentor coach: Laura Macleod (England).
Fixtures:
Monday, 29 July: WGDS v England Women’s Academy (10h30 and 13h30) – Cranleigh CC, Surrey
Wednesday, 31 July: WGDS v Southern Vipers (10h30), WGDS v Surrey Stars (13h30) – Aldershot CC, Hampshire
Friday, 2 August: WGDS v Surrey Stars (10h30), WGDS v Southern Vipers (13h30) – New Malden, Surrey
