T20 World Cup: Warwickshire spinner Phoebe Brett and The Blaze all-rounder Maria Andrews have been named in a 15-player England squad for their upcoming tour of India and the subsequent ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in Nepal and Bangladesh.
The ECB announced a busy winter itinerary for the side, which begins with a five-match T20 series against India in November-December this year, and serves as key preparation for the marquee global event in January-February 2027.
Following the conclusion of the series against India, the squad will stay back in the country for an additional week of outdoor training camps before flying out for the World Cup.
Phoebe remains the sole player from England's 2025 World Cup campaign in Malaysia, where the side lost to eventual champions India in the semi-finals. Maria, who served as a non-travelling reserve during the previous edition, has earned a call-up to the main squad this time around.
"This is an exciting opportunity for this group of players who will be the best prepared squad we will have sent to the U19 Women’s World Cup," England U-19 head coach Chris Guest said in a statement.
"The aspiration as always is to win the U19 World Cup. Taking on board learnings from previous campaigns, we have gone about things slightly differently this time, ensuring that our players are getting some game time outdoors much closer to the tournament," he added.
Detailing the focus of the upcoming winter assignment, the head coach stressed that player development remains as vital as winning silverware.
"The goals for the winter are dual focused. We want to win the World Cup, and we are also developing players and helping them prepare for what their career might look like in a professional environment."
The ECB stated that the team captain will be named at a later date. Additionally, five non-travelling reserves - Ava Clive, Ivreen Dhaliwal, Libby Fellows, Lucy Randle-Bissell, and Isobel Thorndike - will participate in all preparation camps, including the training period in India at the conclusion of the T20 series.
The five-match T20 series against India will kick off in Baroda on November 26, with the venue hosting the first two games before the action shifts to Surat for the remaining three fixtures.
The ECB stated that the team captain will be named at a later date. Additionally, five non-travelling reserves - Ava Clive, Ivreen Dhaliwal, Libby Fellows, Lucy Randle-Bissell, and Isobel Thorndike - will participate in all preparation camps, including the training period in India at the conclusion of the T20 series.
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Non-travelling reserves: Ava Clive, Ivreen Dhaliwal, Libby Fellows, Lucy Randle-Bissell, and Isobel Thorndike.