Ireland will have to finish their Women’s T20 World Cup campaign without Ava Canning after the 22-year-old seamer was diagnosed with a stress fracture of the back. Cricket Ireland confirmed the injury on Wednesday and immediately called up fellow quick Jane Maguire as a like-for-like replacement.
Canning had been Ireland’s stand-out bowler in the opening match against Scotland in Manchester, returning 3 for 27 from her four overs. The effort, however, came at a cost. Medical scans later revealed the fracture, ruling her out for the remainder of the tournament.
Maguire, 24, comes in with 39 T20I caps and 33 wickets at an economy of 6.56. She joins her younger sister, all-rounder Aimee Maguire, who was already part of the squad. “Jane’s experience with the new ball gives us balance,” head coach Ed Joyce said in a short board release. “She’s been waiting for this chance.”
Ireland slipped to a 40-run defeat against Scotland in their opener and sit bottom of Group 2, which also features England, West Indies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. They meet the White Ferns in Southampton on Friday, a match they can ill afford to lose if semi-final hopes are to stay alive.
Losing Canning dents Ireland’s power-play plans—she bowls a tight off-stump line at mid-120s pace and was pencilled in for the death overs as well. Joyce is likely to turn to Orla Prendergast or Leah Paul for early wickets, with Maguire holding the middle-overs role.
Stress fractures are an all-too-common hazard for young fast bowlers, and Cricket Ireland’s medical staff insist Canning will take “as long as required” to recover. For now, the squad shifts focus to New Zealand, knowing another defeat would leave them relying on other results.
