England have announced their squad to play the world champions, Australia, for their three-match series in Liverpool and London next month.
Sara Bayman will captain Tracey Neville’s side when they play the first game on 20 January at the Echo Arena on Merseyside, before travelling to the Copper Box Arena at the site of the London Olympic Games for the remaining two matches on 22 and 24 January.
Several members of England’s 2015 World Cup squad which secured bronze in Sydney have been left out of the series, with Stacey Francis, Serena Guthrie, Joanne Harten and Geva Mentor all needing further time to recover ahead of the new season.
England squad to play Australia
Sara Bayman (c), Jade Clarke (vc), Ama Agbeze, Eboni Beckford-Chambers, Sasha Corbin, Rachel Dunn, Jodie Gibson, Natalie Haythornthwaite, Helen Housby, Lindsay Keable, Laura Malcolm, Rachel Shaw
Reserves: George Fisher and Hannah Joseph
