Black Country cricketer gets first senior England call
Kingswinford cricket ace Hannah Baker has received her first senior England call-up.
The 20-year-old is one of seven uncapped players included in the squad for next month’s limited overs tour of Ireland.
Baker is one of the best young spinners in the country and has represented England at youth level, being named in the team of the tournament at last year’s under-19 World Cup.
She now gets the chance to show what she can do at senior level as part of a squad which will be captained by Kate Cross.
The tour begins on Saturday, September 7 with the first of three one-day internationals in Belfast and concludes the following weekend with two T20 matches in Dublin.
Baker’s Central Sparks team-mate Charis Paveley has also been included for the T20 portion of the tour, while Georgia Davis will play in the ODIs.
Director of England women’s cricket Jonathan Finch said: “The squad has an exciting mix of experienced international players, those that are returning to a squad having played previously and those yet to take their first steps on the international stage.
“This is a strong squad made up of many players that have grown from being part of a strengthening domestic game.
“Ireland Women are coming off the back of a significant series win against Sri Lanka and this, mixed with playing away from home, will pose a significant challenge.
“It’s always a special moment to see players make their debut and seven could do so on this tour.”
While Cross gets the honour of captaining the team in Ireland, she has missed out on selection for October’s T20 World Cup.
That 15-strong squad, also announced on Tuesday, features Central Sparks wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones.
England head coach Jon Lewis said: “Selecting teams and squads with this group of players has become incredibly tricky and tough.
“There are players who have been really unfortunate to miss out and they’ll be a big part of what we do with England cricket in the future.
"I feel the 15 players selected give us a really well balanced squad in terms of experience, youth and most importantly the skills to cope and excel in the conditions we feel we will be faced with in the UAE.”
