Jul 24, 2006, 14:00 GMT
Mumbai, July 24 (IANS) The Indian women's cricket team will leave here late Monday night for a tour to England and Ireland that starts with a one-dayer in Ireland Saturday.
Mithali Raj's 14-member squad will play two one-day internationals in Ireland before crossing moving to England to play two Tests and five one-dayers.
India, runners-up of the 2005 World Cup, will also play a day-night Twenty20 International against England Aug 5.
This is the first tour by the women's team after Women's Cricket Association of India (WCAI) merged with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), following the International Cricket Council's global policy.
The Indian team had a three-week preparatory camp at Infosys ground in Mysore, attended by the squad along with five stand-bye players, said WCAI secretary Shubhangi Kulkarni.
'It is always different playing abroad from home. So, I would only say that I hope the team would do well,' Shubhangi, a former India Test player, told IANS here.
The squad will be without Neetu David and Anshu Jain, who have just retired.
'They just told WCAI that have retired,' Shubhangi said, when asked if they quit because of personal reasons.
Preeti Dimri, a left-handed batswoman and Chinaman spinner from Uttar Pradesh, and Nidhi Buley, a left-handed bat and left-arm bowler, are the new faces in the team.
This will be the second series in less then eight months between India and England.
England, now led by Charlotte Edwards, had lost the five-match one-day series 1-4 and drawn the lone Test in New Delhi.
Like India, England too have named two new players - wicket-keeper Sarah Taylor and pacer Lynsey Askew. Taylor will compete with Jane Smit, 16 years her senior.
India's tour ends with the second Test in Taunton Sep 1.
TEAMS:
India: Mithali Raj (captain), Jhulan Goswami, Anjum Chopra, Amita Sharma, Nooshin Al Khadeer, Hemlata Kala, Monica Sumra, Reema Malhotra, Karu Jain (wicket-keeper), Suakshana Naik, Rumeli Dhar, Preeti Dimri, Nidhi Buley and Asha Rawat.
England: Charlotte Edwards (captain), Laura Newton, Jane Smit and Sarah Taylor (wicket-keepers), Caroline Atkins, Rosalie Birch, Katherine Brunt, Holly Colvin, Isa Guha, Jenny Gunn, Beth Morgan, Nikki Shaw, Claire Taylor and Lynsey Askew.
© 2006 Indo-Asian News Service
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