Dubai, Jan. 13 : The best of the best in women's cricket have been named in the provisional squads for the ICC Women's World Cup 2009 to be held in Australia from
7 to 22 March.

In ICC events, participating teams are expected to submit their provisional squads 60 days prior to the start of the tournament while the teams are expected to name their final 15-player squads 30 days before the first match.

The top three ODI batters in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings - Claire Taylor of England, Australia's Lisa Sthalekar and Mithali Raj of India - have all been named in the provisional squads along with leading bowlers Isa Guha of England, Shelley Nitschke of Australia and India's Jhulan Goswami.

Also featuring are Karen Rolton of Australia, who won the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year in 2006, the 2008 winner England's Charlotte Edwards, New Zealand's Haidee Tiffin, Ashlyn Kilowan and Alicia Smith of South Africa, Sajida Shah of Pakistan and Dedunu Silva and Shashikala Siriwardena of Sri Lanka.

Australia and New Zealand will make final touches to their World Cup preparations by playing in the Rose Bowl Series in New Zealand from 1 to 12 February while Pakistan and Sri Lanka will warm up for the most prestigious event in women's cricket by participating in the triangular series in Bangladesh from 3 to 18 February.

England, which submitted its 15-player squad in October, along with India, South Africa and the West Indies, has no ODIs planned in a lead up to the tournament.

The ICC Women's World Cup 2009 will see the world's top eight teams - hosts and holders Australia, along with England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies - compete at six venues across New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

ESPN STAR Sports, the ICC's broadcast partner, will cover all seven matches that will take place at North Sydney Oval, including the final. This will ensure that the event will be the most widely viewed to date, with the coverage to be aired in more than 100 countries.

The format of the event sees the teams divided into two groups. Australia, New Zealand, the West Indies and South Africa are in Group A while India, England, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are in Group B.

The top three sides in each group go forward to the Super Six stage where each side then plays the teams which have qualified from the other group. The top two sides from the Super Six go forward to the final.

The provisional squads for all eight participating teams are:

AUSTRALIA - Karen Rolton (captain) Sarah Andrews, Alex Blackwell, Kate Blackwell, Melissa Bulow, Kris Britt, Jessica Cameron, Renee Chappell, Leonie Coleman, Lauren Ebsary, Sarah Edwards, Rene Farrell, Jodie Fields, Corrinne Hall, Rachel Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Jessica Jonassen, Delissa Kimmence, Shelley Nitschke, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Kirsten Pike, Leah Poulton, Emma Sampson, Clea Smith, Lisa Sthalekar, Selina Tainton, Jo-Ann Verrall, Elyse Villani, Julie Woerner.

ENGLAND - Charlotte Edwards (captain), Caroline Atkins, Katherine Brunt, Holly Colvin, Lydia Greenway, Lauren Griffiths, Isa Guha, Jenny Gunn, Laura Marsh, Beth Morgan, Ebony-Jewel Rainford-Brent, Nicola Shaw, Anya Shrubsole, Claire Taylor, Sarah Taylor.

INDIA - Amita Sharma, Anagha Deshpande, Anjum Chopra, Asha Rawat, Devika Palshikar, Diana David, Gouhar Sultana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jaya Sharma, Jhulan Goswami, Lalita Sharma, Latika Kumari, Mithali Raj, Murugesan Thirushkamini, Niranjana Sankaramani, Nooshin Al-Khadeer, Pallavi Bharadwaj, Priti Dimri, Priyanka Roy, Punam Raut, Ria Chaudhury, Rumeli Dhar, Reema Malhotra, Rajeshwari Goyal, Seema Pujare, Sindhu Basu, Snehal Pradhan, Sravanthi Krishnamurthy, Sulakshana Naik, Swarupa Kadam.

NEW ZEALAND - Haidee Tiffin (captain), Suzie Bates, Kate Broadmore, Nicola Browne, Sarah Burke, Abby Burrows, Emma Campbell, Rachel Candy, Amanda Cooper, Sophie Devine, Anna Dodd, Luch Doolan, Maria Fahey, Rosamond Kember, Victoria Lind, Frances Mackay, Katey Martin, Aimee Mason, Sara McGlashan, Beth McNeill, Louise Milliken, Prashilla Mistry, Rowan Milburn, Rachel Priest, Katherine Pulford, Sian Ruck, Amy Satterthwaite, Sarah Tsukigawa, Megan Wakefield, Anna Wilkins.

PAKISTAN - Almas Akram, Asmavia Iqbal, Armaan Khan, Bibi Nahida, Bismah Maroof, Javeria Wadood, Kainat Imtiaz, Mariam Hassan Shah, Marina Iqbal, Mehwish Tariq, Naila Nazir, Nazia Sadiq, Nida Rashid, Sabeen, Sajida Shah, Salma Faiz, Sana Gulzar, Sana Mir, Sana Zeeshan, Sania Iqbal, Sukhan Faiz, Sumaiya Siddiqui, Syeda Nain Abidi, Sadia Yousaf, Syeda Batool Fatima Naqvi, Sumaira Sajid, Qanita Jalil, Urooj Mumtaz, Wajiha Sundas, Zeba Hussain.

SOUTH AFRICA - Olivia Anderson, Susan Benade, Cri-Zelda Brits, Trisha Chetty, Moseline Daniels, Denisha Devnarain, Shandre Fritz, Alison Hodgkinson, Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Ashlyn Kilowan, Marcia Letsoalo, Sunette Loubser, Dane van Niekerk, Mignon Du Preez, Alicia Smith, Melissa Smook, Claire Terblanche, Daleen Terblanche, Kirstie Thomson, Charlize van der Westhuizen, Yolandi van der Westhuizen.

SRI LANKA - Sanduni Abeyawickrama, Suwini de Alwis, Chamari Atapaththu, Chamika Bandara, Dushyanthi Dedunu, Sandamali Dolawatta, Shereena Faizer, Hiruka Fernando, Rose Fernando, Sumudu Fernando, Sajeewani Galagedara, Chandima Gunerathna, Gayathri Kariyawasam, Nirosha Kumari, Eshani Lokusooriya, Ama Kanchana, Lasanthi Madushani, Dilani Manodara, Chamari Polgampola, Udeshika Prabodini, Deepika Rasangika, Dumila Ramma Waduge, Maduri Samudika, Chamani Seneviratne, Dedunu de Silva, Shashikala Siriwardena, Prabha Udawatta, Prasadini Weerakkodi, Sripali Weerakkodi, Chandi Wickremasinghe.

WEST INDIES - Merissa Aguilleira, Kirbyina Alexander, Melisia Billingy, Shemaine Campbelle, Phernel Charles, Maria David, Shanel Daley, Deandra Dottin, Keila Elliott, Pearl Etienne, Afy Fletcher, Erva Giddings, Geneille Greaves, Cordel Jack, Stacy-Ann King, Pamela Lavine, Debbie-Ann Lewis, Tracey Miller, Anisa Mohammed, Chedean Nation, Juliana Nero, Gaitri Seetahal, Shakera Selman, Zaheeda Samdally, Nicole Samuel, Danielle Small, Charlene Taitt, Stefanie Taylor, Joann Vansertima, Vanessa Watts.(ANI)