Mixed emotions for Beaumont

Tamsin Beaumont chatted to ECBtv after being called up for the West Indies tour

It is with a mixture of excitement and anxiety that Tamsin Beaumont will join up with the England team on Friday ahead of the tour to the West Indies.

The 18-year-old has been called up to the squad for the first time to replace the run-down Sarah Taylor, who is spending the winter recharging her batteries after a whirlwind year with England.

Beaumont's euphoria on first hearing of her selection has been tinged by the realisation that as the only wicketkeeper in the squad she will play in all three one-day internationals and three Twenty20s.

That is quite a vote of confidence by coach Mark Lane, who is a former wicketkeeper himself.

“It was a big surprise,” Beaumont told ECBtv. “I got a phone call from Laney which was pretty cool. I was very excited. Getting to go to the West Indies should be really good. It's a bit scary but I'm really looking forward to it.”

Fortunately for Beaumont, who helped Kent win the LV= County Championship this summer, tomorrow's team meeting - they fly to the Caribbean 24 hours later - will not be the first time she has said 'hello' to her new team-mates.

Captain Charlotte Edwards has seen Beaumont develop during their time together with County Champions Kent

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Beaumont and the England team spent a weekend at Loughborough earlier this month, so while the novelty of an international tour still remains, the possibly awkward first-time introductions to an established group have already taken place.

“It's been really good,” said Beaumont, who scored a hundred for Kent against Surrey - an innings which her county captain Charlotte Edwards took notice of.

“They are all a really good bunch of girls, really easy to get on with, a great bunch. They have really included me which is nice.

“They are all brilliant cricketers so it's great just to be involved. They are going to pull me along and make me a lot better.

“I have never been to the West Indies before. The wickets will be a bit different but I'm sure I will work it out quite quickly. The girls will look after me.

“Charlotte knows how I play and how I go about it, the way I play cricket. I'm sure she has told the coaching staff but you have to perform to be picked.”

The teenager is a successful product of the England Academy which is overseen by Paul Shaw.

While the England women are sweeping all before them, Shaw, Lane and Clare Connor, head of women's cricket at ECB, are doing their best to ensure there is a steady flow of talent in the background ready to step up when the time is right.

Augmenting the Academy is the domestic game which, by being scheduled outside of the international calendar, ensures the highest level of competition possible.

“It [The Academy] prepares you a bit more for this sort of environment. This is a step up from the Academy but that was different from what I had at Kent. It's building blocks to go in the right direction.”