Rising West Australian and Perth Scorchers gun Chloe Ainsworth will get a taste of life in Aussie colours next week after being named in the Governor-General’s XI to face New Zealand.
Ainsworth has quickly shot up the ranks in WA with her ability to swing the ball at good speed.
It saw her receive her first Cricket Australia contract earlier this year, and now she is set to stake a claim on an international debut.
The young gun’s batting is also progressing, adding an all-round facet to her game.
Earlier this year, the 20-year-old told The West Australian getting a call in April from chief selector in Shawn Flegler to say she had been offered a national deal was a “massive shock”.
“He basically just said, putting my last few seasons together, they’ve been pretty happy with what I’ve been able to do and they want to keep trying to develop my cricket,” Ainsworth said.
“We had a camp just before their World Cup campaign. Just being around the girls and training with them, it’s a completely different world. It’s just been awesome.
“I’d met most of the girls and played against most of them, so it was nice to get to know them a bit more off the field. Being able to train with some of my heroes, it was pretty sick.
“If I can get one game (for Australia), I’d be pretty stoked with that, but I just want to push my case as much as possible. If any opportunity did happen, I’d be pretty happy.”
The 13-player squad named for the October 15 game at North Sydney Oval also included Australia quick Lucy Hamilton, who returns from a quad injury that saw her miss selection against Bangladesh, as well as internationally capped fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck.
Nicole Faltum will captain. It’s the second time she’s had the honour.
Cricket Australia’s head of performance and national selector, Shawn Flegler, said it was an invaluable experience for the younger players in the squad.
“For these players, matches against an international side are an invaluable chance to challenge themselves at a higher level and gain experience in an environment that replicates the demands of international cricket,” he said.
“There’s a really exciting mix of youth and experience in the squad, with players who have performed strongly at domestic level getting the opportunity to test themselves against one of the world’s leading teams.”
The match is wedged between the three ODIs against Bangladesh on October 9, 11 and 14 and three T20s against the Kiwis, who begin their new era under Amelia Kerr, on October 18, 20 and 22.
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