Former skipper Heather Knight, who has been on the sidelines for a few months due to injury, has been named in the England Women squad for the upcoming Cricket World Cup 2025.

Danni Wyatt-Hodge also returns to strengthen the batting after being overlooked in the 50-over format, having made her last ODI appearance during the Ashes tour of Australia in January.

However, Maia Bouchier and all-rounder Alice Davidson Richard miss out, as does veteran seamer Kate Cross, with England opting for four spinners to play in India and Sri Lanka.

Sophie Ecclestone will be leading the spin department which includes fellow left-arm Linsey Smith and offspinner Charlie Dean, as well as leg spinner Sarah Glenn, making her return after featuring in the West Indies but missing out on the subsequent visit by India through June and July.

Tammy Beaumont, Sophia Dunkley, Amy Jones, Charlie Dean and Linsey Smith retain their place as England aim to replicate their 2017 heroics.

During the squad announcement, head coach Charlotte Edwards said, “Being selected to play for your country in a World Cup is one of the biggest honours in sport and I’m delighted for all the players named in the squad.”

“Like all global tournaments, it will be a huge challenge but we want to go as far as we possibly can in India and I believe that if we play our best cricket we can compete with anyone.

“Conditions mean we have gone for the extra spinner and we’re lucky to be able to have such depth in this department. It’s fantastic to welcome Sarah Glenn back. That does mean there’s no room for Kate Cross, Maia Bouchier or Alice Davidson-Richards, which will be disappointing for them.

“It’s also great to have Danni back in the squad, she’s been in good form in domestic cricket and she’ll bring dynamism and depth to our batting, alongside Heather, who we are absolutely delighted to be able to select. She’ll be a huge asset for us.

“India is an amazing place to play cricket, and as a group we have a huge opportunity to go and do something special. ODI World Cups are the pinnacle of our sport. They only come around every four years and we’re so excited to get over there to start our preparation.”

The four time champions will be looking to add one more to their collection, having won the maiden event back in 1973, 1993, 2009 and 2017.

England will begin their Cricket World Cup campaign against South Africa on October 03 in M. Chinnaswamy StadiumBengaluru.