Less than a week after being granted an ODI return for the next series against New Zealand, where Freya Kemp is expected to play as an all-rounder as she continues her recuperation from a back injury, Sophia Dunkley has been called up to the England T20I team.
Apart from that, England’s 16-man team for the five-match T20 series is the same as the one that won 3-0 against Pakistan last month.
When the Twenty20 Internationals begin, Mahika Gaur, the eighteen-year-old fast bowler who has been missing from England’s teams this year to finish her A-Levels, would have completed her examinations. However, she was left out of the squad because of a side strain.
The 19-year-old left-arm seamer Kemp made her international debut against South Africa during the English summer of 2022. A few months later, she made an impression against India, becoming the youngest England player, male or female, to reach a half-century in Twenty20 international cricket. However, Kemp returned home early from England’s Caribbean tour in December 2022 due to a stress fracture in her back.
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Sophia bowled in December 2023 during England’s tour of India, but after experiencing a back spasm, she only played as a batter for England A in their tour of New Zealand, and she also played for England Women in the Pakistan series and in regional cricket.
As Gaur continues to grow, England’s head coach Jon Lewis stated he intended to involve her in squad exercises. After playing 19 games in the shorter format for the UAE, Gaur earned her England T20I debut earlier in the Sri Lankan trip before making her ODI debut against the Lankans in September of last year.
“This five-match series against a strong New Zealand side is really important for us and also vital preparation as we build towards the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh,” Lewis stated. “We are happy to have Freya Kemp return as an all-rounder, and as she recovers from her injury, we hope to see her bowl throughout this series.”
“Sophia Dunkley has earned her place in this team and is back in it after demonstrating strong performance at the regional level. Mahika Gaur has a little side strain, thus he cannot participate. We’ll try to get her involved with the team as they get ready to play again.”
After losing her spot during England’s tour of New Zealand earlier this year, Sophia was picked in the ODI squad last week to play the White Ferns. She wasn’t included in either of the final two matches of England’s three-match series against Pakistan last month, despite being added to the 50-over squad. Sophia finished 12th in the second match in Taunton, which was lost after 6.5 overs.
That came after a string of impressive showings for South East Stars in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, where she now leads the tournament in run-scoring with 293 runs at 97.66 and an 83.00 strike rate, along with two centuries. In the Charlotte Edwards Cup T20 tournament, she has amassed 200 runs at a pace of 28.57, a strike rate of 120.48, and two half-centuries.
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