Kira Chathli is set for a busy few weeks. The Surrey wicketkeeper-batter will lead England A in three T20s and three 50-over matches against India A, beginning at Northampton on 20 June. It is her first national captaincy appointment, and it arrives only a month after she took charge of Surrey’s 50-over side in the regional competition.
Three fully-capped players – Jodi Grewcock, Ryana MacDonald-Gay and Charis Pavely – bolster an otherwise youthful group that also features Davina Perrin, Grace Scrivens and left-arm spinner Sophia Smale, all on the radar of the senior selectors. Jon Lewis, England Women’s lead batting coach, will run the tour.
“The India series will be another test of where this very talented group of players is at,” Lewis said. “Earning selection for an A side is proof you’re on the right path, but the next challenge is scoring runs or taking wickets consistently in domestic cricket and pushing for senior selection. A series against another nation is always a positive thing and I’m sure we’ll learn a lot from it. I’m delighted for Kira, I’m sure she’ll look forward to leading the group and I know she’ll take a lot from it.”
Chathli’s promotion does nudge Essex all-rounder Scrivens – last year’s A-team skipper – down the pecking order for now, though she remains in both squads. Chathli has already won five of her eight games in charge of Surrey this season, so the leadership call looks logical enough.
Squads in full
T20s: Kira Chathli (capt), Grace Ballinger, Jodi Grewcock, Emma Jones, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Ella McCaughan, Kalea Moore, Charis Pavely, Davina Perrin, Grace Potts, Grace Scrivens, Sophia Smale, Alexa Stonehouse.
50-over: Kira Chathli (capt), Grace Ballinger, Jodi Grewcock, Ella McCaughan, Flo Miller, Charis Pavely, Davina Perrin, Charley Phillips, Grace Potts, Grace Scrivens, Chloe Skelton, Sophia Smale, Alexa Stonehouse.
Fixtures
20 June – 1st T20, Northampton
23 June – 2nd T20, Northampton
25 June – 3rd T20, Chelmsford
28 June – 1st 50-over, Taunton
1 July – 2nd 50-over, Taunton
4 July – 3rd 50-over, Taunton
Nothing revolutionary, then, but useful markers for players jostling below full international level. Runs and wickets here tend to travel: the senior side host New Zealand later in the summer, and places always open up. Chathli, still only 25, now has the platform – and the armband – to make a stronger case of her own.
