New Zealand have been forced into an early World Cup change, with left-arm spinner Flora Devonshire sidelined by a training-ground cut to her bowling hand and seamer-batter Hannah Rowe called up as cover.
Devonshire, 22, had been set for her first global 50-over tournament. Instead, the deep gash sustained during fielding drills will need a fortnight, possibly a little longer, to knit, ruling her out of the group stage and prompting medical staff to pull her from the squad altogether.
“We’re all feeling for Flora,” head coach Ben Sawyer said. “She worked hard to earn her spot in this squad and it’s a real shame her tournament is ending early.”
Rowe, 29, travels out on 7 October and therefore misses the South Africa fixture in Indore a day earlier. The right-arm seamer has 60 ODI caps, a handy lower-order record and two previous World Cups behind her – experience that weighed heavily in the selectors’ thinking.
“We’re pleased to be able to call up a senior player in Hannah Rowe,” Sawyer said. “Hannah’s obviously not a like-for-like replacement for Flora, but she offers an all-round skillset and has experience in sub-continent conditions.”
The White Ferns opened their campaign with an 89-run defeat by Australia, a result that leaves them little margin for further slips. After South Africa they head east to Guwahati for Bangladesh on 10 October, a match now likely to feature Rowe’s first minutes of this tournament.
Devonshire will remain with the touring party for a few days before flying home to continue rehab under domestic staff – a small consolation, yet one that allows her to stay connected with the squad she fought hard to join.
