Maia Bouchier and Charlie Dean handed first England call-ups for T20 series

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Maia Bouchier and Charlie Dean have been handed their maiden England call-ups ahead of next month’s three-match women’s Vitality International Twenty20 series against New Zealand.

Bouchier was a member of the Southern Brave side that reached the final of The Hundred and, while she faced only 64 balls in the tournament, she contributed 92 runs at an impressive strike-rate of 143.75 in the middle-order.

All-rounder Dean, who represented London Spirit in the inaugural 100-ball competition, is the leading wicket-taker in this year’s Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy with 10 scalps in four matches from her off-breaks for Southern Vipers.

Maia Bouchier is in the England squad for the first time (John Walton/PA)
Maia Bouchier is in the England squad for the first time (John Walton/PA)

The uncapped pair’s inclusions are the only additions to an England squad that beat India 2-1 in the T20 portion of a multi-format series win earlier this summer while batter Fran Wilson has been omitted.

Head coach Lisa Keightley said: “This is another big series for us, and I want the team to continue from where they left off in the series win over India.”

The likes of teenage opening batter Alice Capsey and 20-year-old fast bowler Lauren Bell came to the fore for Oval Invincibles and the Brave in The Hundred but they have, on this occasion at least, been overlooked.

Nevertheless, Keightley welcomed the expansion of the selection pool thanks to the competition and investment from the England and Wales Cricket Board that led to 41 female cricketers signing full-time domestic deals last year.

She added: “We’re looking at more players than ever before, which is so exciting. In the past selection meetings have by necessity been quite focused on the centrally contracted group.

England head coach Lisa Keightley is encouraged by the options at her disposal (Mike Egerton/PA)
England head coach Lisa Keightley is encouraged by the options at her disposal (Mike Egerton/PA)

“But the fact that so many other players are sticking their hand up and pushing for selection is testament to the progress the domestic structure is allowing the women’s game to make.

“We’re seeing improvements across the board, and there were a number of young English players who also shone in The Hundred, which bodes really well for the future.

England commence their series against the White Ferns at Chelmsford on September 1, with further matches on September 4 and 9 at Hove and Taunton respectively. A five-match one-day series follows the three T20s.

England squad: H Knight (captain), N Sciver (vice-captain), T Beaumont, M Bouchier, K Brunt, F Davies, C Dean, S Dunkley, S Ecclestone, T Farrant, S Glenn, A Jones, N Sciver, A Shrubsole, M Villiers, D Wyatt.

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