Squads for ICC Women's World Cup India 2013 announced

England's Charlotte Edwards has been picked for her fifth successive World Cup, while her Indian counterpart, Mithali Raj, has been selected for her fourth successive World Cup after all eight countries finalized their squads for the ICC Women's World Cup India 2013 to be staged in Mumbai from 31 January to 17 February.

The eight squads see some interesting selections, including the return to the South Africa squad of former captain Cri-Zelda Brits, who in 2011 took an indefinite break from the international game.

The West Indies side includes a number of players featuring in their first Women's World Cup, including Guyanese batter June Ogle-Thomas and twin sisters, Kycia and Kyshona Knight, from Barbados. The Knight sisters will become the second set of twins, after Alex and Kate Blackwell of Australia (2005), to feature in the same Women's World Cup squad.

Edwards was named ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year 2008 and has played in 160 ODIs for her country including 23 ODIs in World Cups. With 4, 783 international runs, including 912 in World Cups, she is third on the list of most successful batters behind Belinda Clark and Karen Rolton of Australia.

Just below Edwards on that list is India captain Raj with 4,490 ODI runs to her name. Raj will be appearing in her fourth successive ICC Women's World Cup and the 30-year-old from Rajasthan currently tops the Reliance ICC Women's ODI Player Rankings for batters.

There is a long list of players who will participate in their third World Cup including Alex Blackwell, Lisa Sthalekar, (both Australia), Katherine Brunt, Lydia Greenway, Jenny Gunn (all England), Jhulan Goswami (India), Susanna Benade, Cri-Zelda Brits, Shandre Fritz (all South Africa), Anisa Mohammed (West Indies), Sripali Weerakkody and Shashikala Siriwardena (both Sri Lanka).

For the Pakistan women, it will be their third experience of the most prized tournament in women's cricket with a number of the side that headed to Australia in 2009 heading to India this year, including captain Sana Mir, Bismah Maroof, Javeria Khan, Nain Abidi, Qanita Jalill and Asmavia Iqbal Khokhar

The squads:

AUSTRALIA - Jodie Fields (captain), Alex Blackwell (vice-captain), Jess Cameron, Sarah Coyte, Holly Ferling, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Julie Hunter, Jess Jonassen, Meg Lanning, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Lisa Sthalekar, Elyse Villani.

ENGLAND - Charlotte Edwards (captain), Jenny Gunn (vice-captain), Tammy Beaumont, Arran Brindle, Katherine Brunt, Holly Colvin, Georgia Elwiss, Lydia Greenway, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Laura Marsh, Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Taylor, Danielle Wyatt.

INDIA - Mithali Raj (captain), Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-captain), Ekta Bisht, Amita Dass, Jhulan Goswami, Karuna Jain, Reema Malhotra, Mona Meshram, Thirushkamini Murugesan, Sulakshana Naik, Niranjan Nagarajan, Rasnara Parwin, Poonam Raut, Shubh Lakshmi Sharma, Gouher Sultana.

NEW ZEALAND - Suzie Bates (captain), Amy Satterthwaite (vice-captain), Kate Broadmore, Nicola Browne, Rachel Candy, Sophie Devine, Natalie Dodd, Lucy Doolan, Sara McGlashan, Frances Mackay, Morna Nielsen, Katie Perkins, Rachel Priest, Sian Ruck, Lea-Marie Tahuhu.

PAKISTAN - Sana Mir (captain), Bismah Maroof (vice-captain), Nain Abidi, Sidra Amin, Diana Baig, Elizebath Barkat, Nahida Bibi, Qanita Jalil, Asmavia Iqbal Khokhar, Syeda Batool Fatima Naqvi, Nida Rashid, Rabiya Shah, Sumaiya Siddiqui, Javeria Wadood, Sadia Yousaf.

SOUTH AFRICA - Mignon du Preez (captain), Trisha Chetty (vice-captain), Susanna Benade, Cri-Zelda Brits, Thandile Cordes, Dinesha Devnarain, Shandre Fritz, Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Marcia Letsoalo, Sunette Loubser, Yolandi Potgieter, Elriesa Theunissen, Chloe Tryon, Dane van Niekerk.

SRI LANKA - Shashikala Siriwardena (captain), Sandamali Dolawatta (vice-captain), Chamari Attapaththu, Eshani Lokusooriya, Lasanthi Madushani, Dilani Manodara, Yasoda Mendis, Udeshika Prabodani, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Inoka Ranaweera, Deepika Rasangika, Sherina Ravikumar, Chamani Senevirathne, Prasadini Weerakkody, Sripali Weerakkody.

WEST INDIES - Merissa Aguilleira (captain), Stafanie Taylor (vice-captain), Shemaine Campbelle, Shanel Daley, Deandra Dottin, Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Natasha Mclean, Anisa Mohammed, Subrina Munroe, Juliana Nero, June Ogle, Shaquana Quintyne, Shakera Selman, Tremayne Smartt,

Facts About Women’s World Cup Cricket

* The Women's World Cup has been running for longer than the men's version and was first staged in England in 1973, when it was won by the hosts, which beat Australia by 118 runs in the final at Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Since then there have been a further eight tournaments with Australia winning five of them (1978, 1982, 1988, 1997 and 2005), England winning twice (1993 and 2009) and New Zealand (2000) triumphing once.

The tournament has been staged twice each in England (1973 and 1993), India (1978 and 1997) , New Zealand (1982 and 2000) and Australia (1988 and 2009) as well as South Africa (2005).

The tournament has grown in stature after International Women's Cricket Council merged with International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2005. It was staged under the aegis of the ICC for the first time in 2009.

The full fixtures can be found here.