In the ongoing England women’s tour of South Africa, scheduled from November 24 to December 18, featuring three T20Is, three ODIs, and a one-off Test, England took an early lead by defeating the Proteas women in the 1st T20I by 4 wickets. However, they’ve now faced another setback with wicketkeeper-batter Bess Heath ruled out of the series due to a thumb injury sustained during training.
An update during the first T20I revealed that Bess Heath suffered a fractured thumb, confirmed by an X-ray. She has been withdrawn from the squad and will return to the United Kingdom for rehabilitation.
The England Cricket Board’s (ECB) media release read: Wicketkeeper-batter Bess Heath has been withdrawn from England Women’s T20I squad touring South Africa after suffering a thumb injury in training. An x-ray revealed Heath suffered a fractured thumb which means she is ruled out for the duration of the series.
Bess Heath is a promising wicketkeeper-batter who has represented England Women, Brisbane Heat, Derbyshire Women, and Northern Superchargers in domestic and international cricket. She made her ODI debut against Sri Lanka at Leicester on September 14, 2023, and her T20I debut against India at Wankhede on December 10, 2023.
In ODIs, she has scored 59 runs in 4 matches, while her T20I contributions have been modest. Domestically, Heath has impressed in The Hundred, scoring 239 runs across 27 innings for the Northern Superchargers at a strike rate of 126.45, with a highest score of 57. In the Women’s Big Bash League, she has accumulated 299 runs in 19 innings, including a best of 51, striking at 113.25.
In the first T20I, England defeated South Africa by 4 wickets at East London. The hosts set a target of 143 with key contributions from Nadine de Klerk (29*) and Annerie Dercksen (26*), while Charlie Dean took 2/21 for England. Chasing 143, Nat Sciver-Brunt’s Player-of-the-Match-winning 59 (54) and Amy Jones’ quickfire 31 (19) guided England to victory with 4 balls remaining despite Eliz-Mari Marx’s 3/19 for South Africa, putting England to a lead of 1-0 in the three-match T20I series.
England Women T20I Squad:
Heather Knight (C), Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Linsey Smith, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Alice Capsey
T20I Series Fixtures:
1st T20I – Sunday, November 24, East London, South Africa – England won by 4 wickets
2nd T20I – Wednesday, November 27, Willowmoore Park, Benoni
3rd T20I – Saturday, November 30, SuperSport Park, Centurion
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