England's Knight & Winfield-Hill back for WI tour

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Heather Knight and Katherine Brunt celebrating a wicket — Heather Knight has not played for England since July with a hip injury

England captain Heather Knight will return for December’s white-ball tour of the West Indies, while debutant Lauren Winfield-Hill will also return to the Twenty20 squad.

Winfield-Hill has not played for England since March but has been recalled after strong domestic performances.

Knight returns to lead the side after undergoing hip surgery.

The versatile Nat Sciver also returns later taking a break from cricket during the summer.

England play three one-day internationals and five T20s against the West Indies, their first outing new coach Jon Lewis.

Fast bowler Katherine Brunt, 37, is included in the T20 squad but will miss the ODIs as England continue to manage their workload.

Opener Tammy Beaumont, who was dropped from England’s T20 for the Commonwealth Games, has only been selected for the ODIs.

England will be boosted by Knight’s return after their summer ended with a fourth-place finish at the Commonwealths and a 3-0 series defeat to India, where they clearly lacked the experience of Knight and senior players like Brunt and Sciver.

Northern Diamonds’ Winfield-Hill also brings experience and solidity at the top of the order in the shorter format, having played 40 T20s for England.

The opening recall reflects the growing professionalism of the women’s domestic game, having shone for Oval Invincibles in The Hundred before hitting averages in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy to reclaim her place in the England set-up.

The tour is likely to be the only competitive cricket played by both England and the West Indies before the T20 World Cup, which takes place in South Africa in February 2023.

England selections for the West Indies white ball series

ODI team

Heather Knight (capta), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Alice Davidson-Richards, Freya Davies, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Amy Jones (wk), Freya Kemp, Emma Lamb, Nat Sciver, Danny Wyatt.

T20 team

Heather Knight (caught), Lauren Bell, Katherine Brunt, Alice Capsey, Freya Davies, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Nat Sciver, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Issy Wong, Danni Wyatt.