Javeria Khan to lead Global Development Squad

The WGDS aims to bridge the gap between the players of the leading nations in women's cricket by offering greater exposure to those outside of the top eight teams. This will be the third tour for such a squad— the first having taken place in July 2018 in England, and the second, in November of the same year in Australia. During these tours, the WGDS played against a few Women's Cricket Super League (WCSL) and Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) teams, respectively.  This time around too, the squad will square-off in T20s against WCSL sides the Southern Vipers and Surrey Stars, the reigning champions, twice. These matches will give the selected players an opportunity to play against international superstars like Tammy Beaumont, Natalie Sciver and Stafanie Taylor.

"I find it a real honour to be selected as the captain of the Women’s Global Development Squad," Khan told ICC following her appointment as captain. "It has always been my desire to experience such opportunities and I am sure this new and exciting opportunity will pave the way for a lot of learning which will help me further improve my game. I aim to pass on my experience to the members of my squad while at the same time I would look at improving my own game in terms of both the mental side and skillset."

The WGDS consists of players from eight different nations, with Khan at the helm. From Scotland, Abtaha Maqsood, the leg-spinner, Hannah Rainey, the medium-pacer, and Becky Glen, a top-order batter, have been selected. Jahanara Alam, the allrounder who turned heads during the 2018 Women's T20 World Cup, and Fargana Hoque, the top order batter, have been selected from Bangladesh. They are joined by Brenda Tau, the wicketkeeper, and Ravini Oa, all-rounder, from Papua New Guinea. Rounding up the team are Christina Gough, the allrounder from Germany, Celeste Raack, the Irish leg-spinner, Denise van Deventer, the batter from Netherlands, and Sugetha Chandhrasekar, USA's opening batter.

“I am looking forward to enjoying and experiencing companionship with players from different nationalities who are gathering for the event," Khan added. "This program will not only acquaint me with their culture, but also with their approach towards the game. I would also be keen on sharing my knowledge of the game that I have acquired by representing my country around the world at some of the biggest stages of women’s cricket."

Speaking on the occasion, Holly Colvin, ICC Women's Cricket Manager, said: "The Women’s Global Development squads play a key role in the spread of the game. They enable high-performing players from outside the top eight teams to develop their skills and bridge the gap with leading players of the generation. The ICC Women’s Championship has enriched the quality of the game for the eight leading teams and it is important that we now bridge the gap between them and the next best teams."

“We have appointed Javeria as captain because we felt it was important that a senior player guide the team and impart the nuances of the game on the field. There is nothing like learning first hand and I am sure the other players will acquire a lot from her."

“There is a huge variety of playing experience, culture and background in this team and I’m looking forward to seeing the team grow over the course of the week, particularly as they have the freedom to express themselves on the pitch."

“It’s really important that the ICC and Members support high performance initiatives to continue to develop talented players. It will provide fantastic preparation for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier due to be held in Scotland in 31 August – 7 September 2019 and I look forward to seeing these players in action at this tournament.”

The WGDS kicks off its Tour of England with a match against England Women's Academy on Monday (July 29). They are then scheduled to play both the Southern Vipers and Surrey Stars on Wednesday (July 31), before meeting them again on Friday (August 2).

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).