England's new leadership has snubbed the top-ranked spinner from their initial team selections
Update on Sophie Ecclestone's Absence
It seems that England's top-ranked spinner, Sophie Ecclestone, won't feature in the series against West Indies due to a bothersome knee injury. This injury has kept her sidelined for the initial part of the domestic season, and she only played her first game with Lancashire yesterday (May 14). Despite her half-century batting at No.8 and securing a wicket, she's still short on the cricket pitch hours to be suitable for this series.
New England head coach, Charlotte Edwards, spoke on Ecclestone's absence: "Ecclestone's knee injury hasn't quite healed up to 100%. She's been working hard in rehab, but she's only just started playing for Lancashire, so she's not quite match-fit for this series."
Here's a quick look at the ODI and T20I squads:
ODI squad:- Nat Sciver-Brunt (c)- Alice Davidson-Richards- Emily Arlott- Tammy Beaumont- Lauren Bell- Kate Cross- Charlie Dean- Sophia Dunkley- Mahika Gaur- Sarah Glenn- Amy Jones- Heather Knight- Emma Lamb- Linsey Smith
T20I squad:- Nat Sciver-Brunt (c)- Emily Arlott- Tammy Beaumont- Lauren Bell- Alice Capsey- Charlie Dean- Sophia Dunkley- Sarah Glenn- Amy Jones- Heather Knight- Paige Scholfield- Linsey Smith- Issy Wong- Danni Wyatt-Hodge
Some notable returnees in Edwards' first squad announcement are Issy Wong, Emma Lamb, Alice Davidson-Richards, and Emily Arlott. Davidson-Richards bagged a Test century against South Africa in 2022 (her only England cap to date), while Arlott was a part of an England Test squad in 2022 but is still without an international cap. Both women impressed in the One Day Cup’s early rounds. For instance, Arlott notched a century from No.7 against Essex, and Davidson-Richards made a century against Lancashire.
Wong’s return to the squad comes after an outstanding performance for England A in Australia last month. She took a five-wicket haul in the one-off red-ball match, in addition to strong contributions in the white-ball format.
Meanwhile, opening batter Lamb is leading the One Day Cup run-scorer standings, having scored one century and four half-centuries across seven games. She last played for England against Ireland last year but hasn't been part of their top teams for the past two years. Her inclusion in the ODI squad sees Maia Bouchier missing out and Danni Wyatt-Hodge being left out of the ODI squad.
Charlotte Edwards added, "We've selected these squads based on solid performances and form in the opening rounds of the One Day Cup. The players have shown great skill and dedication across the competition, and I'm impressed by what I've seen."
Freya Kemp and Danielle Gibson are both out due to injuries, while Lauren Filer's recovery from a knee injury is progressing positively. Maia Bouchier, who participated in the Ashes series, was left out of these teams, as her consistent match-winning contributions have yet to materialize for Hampshire in domestic cricket.
The series kicks off with three T20Is, starting at Canterbury next Wednesday (May 21). The ODI series, scheduled to end at Taunton on June 7, follows closely.
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Domestic cricket has seen the return of some key players, such as Emily Arlott and Alice Davidson-Richards, who impressed in the One Day Cup's early rounds and have been named in the ODI squad. In sports news, theEngland Women's cricket team will be missing Sophie Ecclestone for the series against West Indies due to a knee injury, making sports headlines for her absence.
