Meet the Global Development Squad
They will play five matches against English Super League sides on July 17, 19 and 20.
Gaby Lewis
Ireland's 17-year-old batter is already an experienced hand on the circuit, having made her international debut at 13. She reached 50 caps this tournament, and made it one to remember, notching up 95 runs at an average of 31.66. She has been a part of the Women's Big Bash League as a rookie, and knows how valuable overseas experience and the mingling of cricket cultures will be.
Lucy O’Reilly
At 18, the medium pacer is another of Ireland's youngsters who has been around for a while. Since she was 13, in fact. With an ability to raise her game in pressure situations, and one of the best fielders in the side, she had 11 wickets in the tournament, including 3/13 in the semi-final against PNG. That put her No.1 in the bowling charts.
Shauna Kavanagh
The 26-year-old Ireland player didn't have a chance to do too much in the tournament. But with her ability to bowl when called on, as well as keep wickets, she's a handy player.
Sterre Kalis
The Netherlands’ 18-year-old has been one of the stars of her team’s WT20Q campaign, making 88* of their 137 in their opening match and signing off with 79 off 65 balls in their last total of 146. Kalis has already played competitive domestic cricket in Australia and England, apart from the Netherlands. She’s been a rookie at the WBBL, learning from the likes of Alex Blackwell and Rachael Haynes, both on and off the field.
Heather Siegers
The Netherlands captain is an all-rounder, opening the batting and bowling her right-arm seam. Her 46 off 43 balls in an opening stand of 85 in 13.4 overs with Kalis against Uganda was her personal highlight of the tournament. The 21-year-old is a student at England’s Loughborough University, where several cricketers work on their game.
Babette de Leede
The Netherlands' 18-year-old wicket-keeper had a quiet tournament. She's not had too many chances to bat. Behind the stumps, she had four catches and one stumping against her name. A late addition to the squad, she will be keen to make the most of this opportunity.
Kaia Arua
Arua, 28, had a chance to represent her country back when she was a student in grade eight. Her mother refused to let her go play at that time, but the opportunities kept coming. The all-rounder is a veteran of the Papua New Guinea team, chipping in with the bat in the middle order as well as with her left-arm spin. She was also the stand-in captain for the big semi-final against Ireland.
Ravini Oa
The tall 23-year-old medium pacer from PNG wants to be a role model for her young daughter. She’s been a consistent performer for the team, especially in pressure situations. Her performances earned her the chance to be a rookie at WBBL, getting to work on her variations with the legendary Katherine Brunt at Perth Scorchers, and the England experience will be the next step.
Sarah Bryce
The Scotland youngster has come a long way from the days when she added a remarkable 336 with her sister for Scotland Under 17s. Her game has only got better. With 162 runs from five matches, the 18-year-old wicket-keeper and opening bat, finished No.2 in the tournament's runs chart. In the first low-scoring match against Uganda, she made almost 77% of the team's total of 43, scoring 36*. She missed out on a fifty against Ireland, finishing unbeaten on 49 off 55 balls. In the semi-final against Bangladesh, she made 31 off 44. To go with that, she had five catches and four stumpings in the tournament.
Kathryn Bryce
With a maturity beyond her 20 years, the elder Bryce sister led Scotland well in the tournament to third place. The all-rounder finished with 129 runs and five wickets in the Netherlands, getting crucial breakthroughs with her medium pace and averaging 14. She's said she's proud of how far her team has come, and she can take a share of credit for it.
Esha Oza
The tall UAE opener didn't have a great tournament. But in the last two group matches against Bangladesh and Thailand, in which her side plummeted to scores of 39 and 50 respectively, she showed resistance, getting to double digits. She was in great form before that, and will hope to rediscover that in England, a place where she spent some of her early years.