Photo Credit: ICC
WHITE FERNS batter Lauren Down has been ruled out of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022.
Down injured her right thumb while taking a catch in the WHITE FERNS fifth ODI against India and subsequent scans revealed a fracture.
She will return home and await medical advice on the next steps of her recovery.
WHITE FERNS head coach Bob Carter said the team are coming to terms with losing a valued squad member.
“Quite simply, the entire squad is absolutely gutted for Lauren.” Carter said.
“She’s a very popular member of the group and it’s fair to say the team were quite emotional when we got the news she was out of the tournament.”
“You saw the impact Lauren had in the recent series against India; she played some really mature innings’ in the middle order and her fielding was at an exceptional standard.”
“We wish her all the best with her recovery and know she’ll be supporting us throughout the tournament.”
Wellington Blaze batter, Georgia Plimmer, will replace Down in the WHITE FERNS squad for the tournament.
Auckland Hearts seamer, Molly Penfold, will also join the WHITE FERNS squad as a traveling reserve player.
Both players will undergo the necessary five-day ‘bridging in’ isolation period before officially joining the squad.
The WHITE FERNS arrived in Christchurch yesterday in preparation for two ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup warm-up matches on 27 February and 1 March against Pakistan and Australia, respectively.
The New Zealand national cricket team, known as the Black Caps, made their Test debut in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth nation to play Test cricket. After waiting 26 years for their first Test win against the West Indies in 1956, they also played their first ODI in 1972–73 against Pakistan. New Zealand are the inaugural World Test Championship champions (2021) and have won the ICC Champions Trophy (2000). They have reached the Cricket World Cup final twice and the T20 World Cup final once.
