World No.1 ranked spinner Sophie Ecclestone will miss England's series against West Indies after a knee injury kept her out of the early part of the domestic season.
The left-arm spinner sat out Lancashire's first six matches of the One Day Cup, but was fit to play for the side's game against Warwickshire today (May 14). She scored a half-century batting at No.8 and took the wicket of Bethan Ellis.
Speaking on Ecclestone's omission, new England head coach Charlotte Edwards said: “Following her knee injury, Sophie Ecclestone is physically not quite at 100% yet. She's been rehabbing and working hard but she’s only just got back on the park for Lancashire so she doesn't have enough cricket under her belt to be ready for this series.”
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
Elsewhere in Edwards' first squad announcement in the role, there were returns for Issy Wong, Emma Lamb, Alice Davidson-Richards and Emily Arlott. Davidson-Richards scored a Test century against South Africa in 2022 – so far her only England cap. Emily Arlott was also included in an England Test squad in 2022 but is still uncapped at international level. Both Davidson-Richards and Arlott have put in strong performances in the opening rounds of the One Day Cup, Arlott having hit a century from No.7 against Essex and Davidson-Richards having made a hundred against Lancashire.
Wong's return to the squad comes after she put in an impressive performance for England A in Australia last month. She took a five-wicket-haul in the one-off red-ball match as well as making contributions in the white-ball format.
Opening batter Lamb currently tops the One Day Cup run-scorer standings, having scored one century and four half-centuries across seven games. Lamb last played for England in their series against Ireland last year, but has been out of their first-choice sides for the last two years. Her inclusion in the ODI squad comes with Maia Bouchier missing out, as well as Danni Wyatt-Hodge being left out of the ODI squad.
Further expanding on her selections, Edwards said in a statement: “We have selected squads on the back of strong performances and form in the opening rounds of the Metro Bank One Day Cup. That was the challenge to the players and I’ve been so impressed by what I’ve seen across the competition.
“All-rounders Freya Kemp (back) and Danielle Gibson (stress fracture) are both unavailable due to injury. Lauren Filer’s return from a knee injury continues positively and she will continue to be reviewed.
“Maia Bouchier misses out having been a part of the Ashes series, Maia’s talent is there for all to see and the challenge to her is to go and make consistent match-winning contributions for Hampshire in domestic cricket. It’s the same for any player who’d disappointed to not be a part of these squads.
England will begin their series against West Indies with three T20Is, which will start at Canterbury next Wednesday (May 21). They will follow that with three ODIs, with the series concluding at Taunton on June 7.
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