England Women announce ODI squad for West Indies, include 2 uncapped players

England Women are to tour West Indies for five-ODI series starting October 8. For the Caribbean tour England have two uncapped players in the side— Beth Langston and Sophie Ecclestone. Both the players have represented England Women in T20Is. Langston is a right-arm seamer whereas Ecclestone is a left-arm spinner, her services will be useful in West Indies keeping in mind that it the wickets there are relatively slow and the ball comes a bit late on the bat. Langston will be joining the side in the latter part of the tournament as she has a thumb injury whereas Ecclestone might be included in the side right away. England Women are currently placed at second spot in ICC Women's Championship whereas West Indies are placed at fifth.

England Women's coach Mark Robinson told Cricbuzz, "Sophie Ecclestone's inclusion is a reward for all the promise she showed against Pakistan this summer. Fellow left-arm spinner Alex Hartley had a fantastic Kia Super League for Surrey Stars, and along with the two off-spinners— Laura Marsh and Danielle Hazell— the four spinners gives the bowling attack lots of options and balance". England batter Fran Wilson would not be featuring in the ODI series as she suffered a thumb injury previous week. Skipper Heather Knight will be leading the side for her first overseas tour after Charlotte Edwards stepping down from the post.

Robinson said, The unfortunate news of losing Fran Wilson with a broken finger at the end of last week has been tempered by the news that Langston's broken thumb is healing more quickly than expected, and she should be able to play a full part in the second half of the tour. Beth is bowling with good pace at the moment, and will give us another dimension with the ball. We've done a lot of soul searching and worked incredibly hard since the ICC Women's World T20 at the start of this year."

"The summer series against Pakistan couldn't have gone any better in terms of results, but more importantly the manner in which we went about playing our cricket was really pleasing. This tour to the West Indies will now give us a good idea of how far we have come. The heat of Jamaica and the ability of the West Indies team will test our skills, fitness and mental strength. Everyone is hugely excited by the challenge ahead," he added.

England Women's squad:

Heather Knight (c), Anya Shrubsole, Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Georgia Elwiss, Jenny Gunn, Alexandra Hartley, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones (wk), Beth Langston, Laura Marsh, Natalie Sciver, Lauren Winfield, Danielle Wyatt.

England Women's squad to tour West Indies: Heather Knight (Captain), Anya Shrubsole, Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Georgia Elwiss, Jenny Gunn, Alexandra Hartley, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones (wicket-keeper), Beth Langston, Laura Marsh, Natalie Sciver, Lauren Winfield, Danielle Wyatt.