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EC Wang has declared himself fully fit for England’s T20 World Cup campaign, allaying concerns over his recent injury scare.
After competing hard for a place in Charlotte Edwards’ squad for next month’s home tournament, Wang appeared in last week’s one-day ODI opener against New Zealand only to go down with a strained hamstring.
He was sent for scans and follow-up, ultimately missing all three matches, but the Warwickshire seamer has been given the green light to return and is cleared for the first of three T20Is against the White Ferns on Wednesday.
“Two scans sounded a lot worse than it was but the second one had nothing, so I’m good to go,” he said.
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Watch highlights of the first innings of the third ODI between England and New Zealand.
“Just because you’re having a scan doesn’t mean your leg is off, a lot of times it’s a good idea of what’s going on so they can guide us through it. I felt something at the top of my hamstring and I was pretty keen to play but the physios decided to take it easy.
“We took the right decision because it was a very small thing, but if I had tried to play in that ODI it might have been different.”
Wong has not featured for his country since last July and his eagerness to make the most of the opportunity almost overrode his brush anxiety as he took to the field in Durham. But, having missed the cut for the last three major tournaments, he was eventually persuaded to take a more cautious route.
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In their third ODI against New Zealand in Cardiff, England lost successive wickets of Freya Kemp, Alice Capsey and Dani Gibson.
“I wasn’t that worried, I was 50:50 whether I should even talk to them about it or whether I should put my head down and not mention it,” she said.
“But I thought, I’ve worked hard and got myself selected for the World Cup – I should probably tell them. It was a bit cold in Durham and it didn’t feel so good when I was sitting there but the doctors were really good and sorted all my scans.
“I think I worked really hard and I was buzzing to get the call for this World Cup, so it was in my mind: don’t risk it. It’s a huge summer and everyone is very excited.”
Cyver-Brant’s return ‘hopefully soon’
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Watch the highlights of the first ODI between England and New Zealand.
England are also managing injury problems with captain Nate Syver-Brant (calf) and Sophie Ecclestone (quad), but there are no lingering concerns over the pair.
In fact, Sciver-Brunt is working on her timeline to return to that “hopefully soon.”
He also praised stand-in captain Charlie Dean for leading the team in his absence.
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Tilly Curtin-Coleman claims his maiden wicket for England!
“It was disappointing to be sidelined but hopefully I’ll be back out there soon,” Syver-Brant said. Sky Sports.
“I am having another meeting with the team to finalize (the return deadline). Hopefully soon.
“We have a great leadership team who are in constant communication on and off the pitch. I left it in good hands and I wanted Charlie (Dean) to do his own thing.
“He didn’t have to be anybody, just be himself, and I think he did that really well.
“We have eight T20 matches until that first one in Birmingham so we have plenty of time to learn and grow as a team but I’m excited for the T20 series to start.”
The T20 World Cup focuses on England and New Zealand
After the conclusion of the ODI series, England and New Zealand will now face each other in three T20 Internationals, starting with the derby on May 20 before further games at Canterbury (May 23) and Hove (May 25).
England will also play three Twenty20 internationals against India before opening their home T20 World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston on Friday 12 June.
The hosts will hope to make a full return before regular captain Nat Syver-Brunt, the all-rounder currently sitting out the New Zealand ODIs with a minor calf problem.
England have not won a T20 World Cup since the inaugural edition on home soil in 2009 and were knocked out at the group stage in the last edition in the UAE in 2024.
New Zealand are the reigning Women’s Twenty20 World Cup champions, winning their maiden title two years ago in the Dubai final, beating South Africa by 32 runs.
England vs New Zealand Series Results/Fixtures
- 1st ODI (Durham)- England won by one wicket
- Second ODI (Northampton)- abandoned
- 3rd ODI (Cardiff) – New Zealand won by 17 runs (DLS)
- First T20 (Wednesday, May 20) – Central Co-op County Ground, Derby (6.30pm)
- Second T20I (Saturday, May 23) – Spitfire Ground, Canterbury (2.30pm)
- 3rd T20I (Monday, May 25) – 1st Central County Ground, Hove (2.30pm)
Watch England’s first Twenty20 international against New Zealand, in Derby, on Sky Sports Cricket from 6pm on Wednesday (first ball 6.30pm). Didn’t get the sky? Get Sky Sports or Stream with NOW.
