England Women have named uncapped fast bowler Alexa Stonehouse in their squad for the ODI series against New Zealand after injuries to Issy Wong and Em Arlott.
Stonehouse, 21, has yet to play internationally but earned her place due to strong performances for Warwickshire in the Metro Bank One Day Cup, where she took eight wickets in five games at an economy rate of 5.94. Her best performance came in the last match against Durham, where she claimed 3 for 53 at Edgbaston.
Stonehouse joins the team during a challenging time for England ahead of a key International summer. All-rounder Em Arlott has withdrawn due to concussion protocols after being hit on the head in a practice session before the first ODI.
Wong is recovering from a hamstring injury and will undergo further scans to evaluate her condition. She felt discomfort in her hamstring during warm-ups before the first ODI and was replaced by Lauren Filer. Wong has been named in England’s T20 World Cup squad but is racing against time to recover.
Stonehouse is set to join the rest of the squad in Northampton in time for the second ODI against New Zealand on Wednesday. Notably, England gave three ODI debuts in the first game of the series, with Jodi Grewcock, Dani Gibson, and Tilly Corteen-Coleman playing their first 50-over match for the country; Grewcock and Corteen-Coleman made their international debuts.
England secured a narrow one-wicket victory over New Zealand on Sunday, successfully chasing down the target with 10 balls to spare.