91Èȱ¬

England's Charlotte Edwards, Heather Knight and Sarah Taylor will play state cricket in Australia this winter.

Edwards, 34, joins Western Fury, 23-year-old Knight appears for Tasmania Roar and wicketkeeper Taylor, 25, plays for South Australian Scorpions.

England captain Edwards, who was made a CBE in the Birthday Honours list, is relishing a return to Australia, where England retained the Ashes in January.

"The standard of their state cricket competition is very strong," she said.

The Australian Women's National Cricket League and Women's Twenty20 involve seven state teams that play each other in six rounds of matches from October to February.

England women's cricketer of the year Edwards added: "This represents the perfect opportunity for me to stay sharp and on top of my game after the English summer has finished."

She has led the England team in back-to-back Ashes series wins against Australia.