Nicole Faltum earns maiden international call-up as Australia Women announce squad for New Zealand series

Wicketkeeper-batter Nicole Faltum has received her maiden international call-up as Cricket Australia (CA) announced a 14-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against New Zealand, starting from March 21. With regular skipper Alyssa Healy still recovering from a foot injury, Tahlia McGrath has been named captain, with Ashleigh Gardner serving as her deputy.

The 25-year-old, Faltum has had consistent performances in domestic cricket, particularly in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL). Having played eight seasons in the competition, she was a crucial member of Melbourne Renegades’ title-winning WBBL-10 campaign.

Shawn Flegler, Cricket Australia’s Head of Performance (Women’s Cricket) and National Selector, opened up on Faltum’s abilities and mentioned the importance of grooming a backup wicketkeeping option. 

"It's exciting to be able to bring Nicole into the squad, she's been a consistent performer over a long period of time and will provide a strong back-up option to Beth who will take the gloves during the series," Flegler said as quoted by Cricbuzz.

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Alyssa is working diligently on rehab

While Mooney took up the wicketkeeping duties in the recent Women’s Ashes series, the selectors see Faltum as a long-term investment. On the other hand, Healy, who suffered a foot injury during the Ashes, remains unavailable for the series. 

"While Beth was brilliant during the Ashes in Alyssa's absence, it's important we're continuing to look to the future and Nicole is certainly someone who we can see wearing the green and gold for a long period of time. Alyssa is unavailable for this series due to the foot injury she sustained during the Ashes. She's working diligently on her rehab with the aim to have her fit for the one-day World Cup later in the year," added Flegler.

The squad also features names such as Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, and Annabel Sutherland, alongside rising stars like Georgia Voll and Phoebe Litchfield.

The three-match series will commence on March 21 at Eden Park, Auckland, followed by games at Bay Oval, Tauranga (March 23), and Sky Stadium, Wellington (March 26).

Australia Women's Squad for New Zealand T20Is

Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Bryson Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes