Australia have named a 13-player squad for the three Women’s Twenty20 matches against England that form part of the forthcoming Ashes series.
Wicketkeeper-batter Jodie Fields resumes her role as captain for the games, the first of which takes place in Hobart on January 29.
Chair of selectors Julie Savage said: “The most recent Women’s Ashes held in England last August was decided during the T20 phase of the series and, with the two teams so evenly matched, we expect a tough contest this time around.
“The selected squad play an exciting brand of T20 cricket. We think the Australian public will enjoy watching the stroke-play of Meg Lanning, Alex Blackwell and Elyse Villani, who have all had exceptional seasons in the domestic WT20 competition.
“Our batters will be well supported by the bowling of Ellyse Perry and Holly Ferling, whose pace is a genuine asset for the side.”
England begin their Ashes defence when the Test match in Perth gets under way on Friday, before opening the three-match one-day international portion of the rubber at Melbourne’s iconic MCG on January 19.
Follow the Women's Ashes ball-by-ball via the following media:
Live Scores: www.ecb.co.uk and www.cricket.com.au
Twitter: @ECB_cricket and @SouthernStars
Television: live stream at www.cricket.com.au
Radio: 5 Live Sports Extra, ABC Grandstand or online via www.cricket.com.au/live/audio-stream