England will start their ODI series against New Zealand with a depleted squad after young fast bowler Mahika Gaur injured her foot in training and allrounder Alice Capsey was struck down by illness.
Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt had already been ruled out of the three-match series – England’s first international matches for more than six months and the start of their preparations for the home T20 World Cup in June – after she suffered a calf tear playing domestic cricket last week. Charlie Dean, the vice-captain, will lead the side in her absence with in-form batter Maia Bouchier called up as cover.
Gaur, the 20-year-old left-armer, fractured her left foot during a fielding session with England coaching staff during the week, before the full squad convened in Durham ahead of the first ODI. She will miss the entire ODI series against New Zealand, continuing a stop-start theme to her international career.
She was not available for the 2024 home white-ball series against Pakistan as she was completing her A-Levels and was then ruled out of the subsequent T20s against New Zealand with a side strain, which also forced her to withdraw from the Hundred after an impressive debut season in 2023.
It was that season that earned her a maiden call-up for England, having previously represented UAE in 19 T20Is. She played two T20Is against Sri Lanka in August and September of 2023 then produced a player-of-the-match performance on her ODI debut with 3 for 26, also against Sri Lanka, a few days later. That was the first of her two ODI caps to date.
Gaur last represented England in a T20I against Ireland in September 2024. She travelled to Australia as an observer on England’s chastening Ashes tour of 2025, then played on the England A tour there a short time later.
Capsey is completing her recovery from a recent illness and was ruled out of Sunday’s opening match against New Zealand. She remains with the squad and is expected to be available for selection beyond the first game.
Warwickshire’s Charis Pavely has been called up as batting cover for the first ODI. She has been in scintillating form for Warwickshire in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, scoring two centuries and two half-centuries from the first six games of the season to be the second-highest run-scorer in the competition so far. She is just four runs behind Jodi Grewcock, who is also part of the England ODI squad. Pavely has 400 runs at 100.00 and a strike rate of 113.96 this season.
