Alice Capsey Earns Late Call-Up to England Women’s T20I Squad for South Africa Tour

England Women’s cricket team has announced that all-rounder Alice Capsey will join their T20I squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa, after earning a late call-up to cover for injury concerns within the squad. Capsey’s inclusion comes despite being initially left out of the touring party due to a prolonged form slump with the bat.

Capsey, who has been playing for the Melbourne Renegades in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), will depart for South Africa today to rejoin her England teammates. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that Capsey’s recall was prompted by "a couple of minor injury concerns" within the squad, although no further details were provided. The statement added that all players participated in a light training session on Monday, with "nothing major" to report in terms of fitness issues.

The 20-year-old all-rounder’s form had dipped following England’s early exit from last month’s T20 World Cup, where her highest score was just 19 runs in three innings. However, Capsey has since found some rhythm in the WBBL, where she has been a key player for the Renegades. In eight innings, she has scored 72 runs and currently stands as the third-highest wicket-taker in the competition, with 13 wickets at an average of 13.23 and an economy rate of 7.21. Notably, she took a stunning 5 for 25 in a losing effort against the Perth Scorchers.

Capsey's call-up follows the injury-related absence of fellow all-rounder Dani Gibson, who was also not initially named in the squad for the South Africa tour. In addition to Capsey, Paige Scholfield and Lauren Filer, who missed out on the T20 World Cup squad, have been brought in for the tour. Scholfield made her England debut during the September tour of Ireland.

The England squad will face South Africa in three T20Is starting on November 24 in East London, followed by three ODIs and a Test match in Bloemfontein.

The tour marks an important opportunity for England to bounce back after their disappointing World Cup campaign, where they failed to reach the knockout stages