England name women's squad

Charlotte Edwards will captain England against New Zealand this summer © Getty Images

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The England Women’s selectors have named a 13-strong squad to face New Zealand in a NatWest Women’s Series, comprising six one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals throughout August.

Charlotte Edwards will lead the side, which has only one change from the squad that toured India in February.

Nicola Shaw returns from injury to take on the vice-captaincy after the retirement of Laura Newton in May.

Under the guidance of new head coach Mark Dobson, England will contest the series under a brand new management team.

Vince Wells has been appointed assistant coach and Jane Morris has been recalled as England manager.

Dobson said: “It’s a very exciting time for me as head coach. We have a fine squad of players with a great blend of youth and experience which will be well-led by our inspirational captain Charlotte Edwards.

“Vince has been appointed as assistant coach. He has an extensive background in professional cricket, having captained Leicestershire for four years.

“Since retiring, he has been coaching at various levels in both men’s and women’s cricket.

“We played for some years together at Kent and have always maintained a good working relationship throughout our cricketing careers.

“He’ll be a huge asset to the team and I’m excited about working with him again.”

Wells played as an all-rounder for Kent from 1987 to 1991 before joining Leicestershire in 1992.

He played at the East Midlands club for 12 seasons, captaining the side for four, before moving to Durham to finish his playing career.

Since retiring he has been one of the coaches working with Kent Academy players as well as assisting with the Kent under-15 and under-17 squads.

Wells said: “I’m really looking forward to joining the women’s set-up.

“I’ve been really impressed by the standard of the Super 4s this year and also by the ever-improving standard at Kent over the past few years.

“I’m really excited about working with that ability and improving the players even further, looking ahead to the forthcoming Ashes series and the World Cup in 2009.”

Captain Edwards added: “I’m really pleased we’ve shown some consistency within our selection, choosing to keep the same squad that travelled to India.

“Although it was a disappointing tour, I have a lot of faith that we’ll be able to turn things around this summer against a very strong New Zealand side.

“I’m really pleased to welcome Jane back into the fold as England manager. She’s had a huge amount of experience within England teams and I am thoroughly looking forward to working with her this summer.

“It’s a really exciting time for the players, having a whole new invigorated management team with plenty of enthusiasm and new ideas. It’s going to be an enthralling summer and we can’t wait for it to get started.”

Squad:

Charlotte Edwards (captain, Kent)
Nicola Shaw (vice-captain, Nottinghamshire)
Lynsey Askew (Kent)
Caroline Atkins (Sussex)
Holly Colvin (Sussex)
Lydia Greenway (Kent)
Isa Guha (Berkshire)
Jennifer Gunn (Nottinghamshire)
Laura Marsh (Sussex)
Beth Morgan (Middlesex)
Jane Smith (Nottinghamshire)
Sarah Taylor (Sussex)
Claire Taylor (Berkshire)

Fixtures

NatWest Women’s Twenty20 Internationals

1st Twenty20 v New Zealand - Sunday August 12, Bath CC, 3.30pm
2nd Twenty20 v New Zealand - Monday August 13, Bath CC, 5.30pm
3rd Twenty20 v New Zealand - Thursday August 17, Taunton, 5.40pm

NatWest Women’s Series

1st NatWest ODI - Friday August 17, Taunton, 10.45am
2nd NatWest ODI - Sunday August 19, Stratford-upon-Avon, 10.45am
3rd NatWest ODI - Thursday August 23, Derby, 2.30pm
4th NatWest ODI - Sunday August 26, Blackpool CC, 10.45am
5th NatWest ODI - Monday August 27, Blackpool CC, 10.45am
6th NatWest ODI - Thursday August 30, Shenley CC, 10.45am

Sky Sports will televise live the two internationals at Taunton.