Alice Capsey will pay the price for a run of poor form and England’s shock T20 World Cup group-stage exit by being dropped in two formats for this month’s tour of South Africa.
England play three T20s, three ODIs and a Test in South Africa, which is a tour that at once serves as a serious challenge against a Proteas side who were losing finalists at last month’s World Cup, as well as a timely tune-up for January’s Ashes series Down Under. The series against Australia shapes as a defining moment for a team who have not won the Ashes since 2014 and botched a golden opportunity at this year’s World Cup.
Capsey is understood to have been left out of the T20 and Test squads for the tour, but has retained her place in the ODI squad. Despite debuting as a 17-year-old in 2022, she has had a difficult run of form, and had a top score of 19 in three innings at the World Cup. At the Women’s Big Bash (WBBL) that followed the World Cup, she has 27 runs in five innings for Melbourne Renegades (but has taken 11 wickets with her off-spin, including a maiden five-for on Thursday).
Having been dropped from the T20 squad, she is set to stay at the WBBL for longer while her team-mates travel to South Africa. She is yet to make her Test debut (England have not played a match in the format since last December) but has been in squads previously whilst being a regular in the white-ball formats. At 20, time remains very much on her side but being dropped in T20 represents a moment for reflection ahead of the Ashes.
It is understood that in her place Surrey team-mate Paige Scholfield has made the T20 squad, while all-rounder Freya Kemp makes all three squads. Sarah Glenn is thought not to be in the Test squad, while all-rounder Danni Gibson is nursing an injury that will rule her out of the tour. The squad is expected to be named early next week.
Durban-born Scholfield, 28, made her ODI and T20 debuts on September’s tour of Ireland, but a strong season for Oval Invincibles and South East Stars sees her selected for a full-strength England squad for the first time.
England were roundly criticised after being knocked out in the group stages of the World Cup in Dubai thanks to defeat at the hands of West Indies, with former players Alex Hartley and Lauren Winfield-Hill questioning the fitness levels of players.
Head coach Jon Lewis rejected that criticism in an interview with The Cricketer, saying: “We work incredibly hard on our physical preparation, the players are in really good shape. We individualise really well around people’s programmes.
“I would like Alex in particular to quantify exactly what she means by that, because I just don’t see it. She needs to be more specific about what she’s saying. There are lots of parts of physical fitness, and you have to be careful when you call a team unfit – we are not an unfit cricket team.
“I’ve seen the team training in Loughborough, and we’re moving forward across the board. There are lots of different parts of physical fitness. It was a really broad statement, and I don’t agree with what she said at all. I am more than happy to have a chat to her about it and be more specific.”
Article courtesy of
Source link
