Alice Capsey has been selected for the England Women’s ODI squad, replacing Heather Knight, who sustained a hamstring issue during her recent innings against the West Indies. Knight, who made an unbeaten 66 in a match that led England to a clean 3-0 sweep in the T20I series, is undergoing scans to assess the damage.
The hosts will also see pace bowler Lauren Filer rejoining after recovering from a knee injury sustained during January’s Ashes series. She’s set to play in the first of three matches in Derby, scheduled for Friday.
Heather Knight’s injury was evident during her innings, which she completed with significant discomfort. Her efforts led England to 144 for 5, with Lauren Bell, Em Arlott, Linsey Smith, and Charlie Dean performing well with the ball to restrict the visitors to 127 for 8, despite a strong performance from West Indies’ captain, Hayley Matthews.
Reflecting on Knight’s contribution, her successor as captain, Nat Sciver-Brunt, commented on Knight’s determination during the match, “Her innings was pretty special to get us up to that total, being a competitive and winning score in the end. That just shows her class and experience.” Sciver-Brunt herself added 37 off 40 balls.
Capsey, playing her first match of the series, managed just 4 runs before being caught by Realeanna Grimmond, handing Jahzara Claxton her first international wicket. England’s top order had not been heavily tested in the previous games, having lost only three wickets.
Sciver-Brunt’s tenure began with this series victory, following Knight’s replacement after England’s disappointing Ashes campaign. Although England’s fielding wasn’t impeccable in the final T20I, with three dropped catches echoing past mishaps, they managed to regain control. Sciver-Brunt shared her thoughts on the team’s defensive efforts, “We probably didn’t have our best fielding day… compared to the first two games where we were very good.”
The England bowling line-up for the ODIs will also feature Kate Cross and young prospect Mahika Gaur, while Issy Wong, who participated in the T20Is, steps aside. Ahead of the series, Sciver-Brunt declared she would focus solely on her batting, leaving her return to bowling uncertain for now.
England heads into the ODI series with optimism, but with Knight’s fitness still uncertain, the squad’s depth will likely be tested.
