Christchurch

New Zealand batter Lauren Down has been ruled out of the upcoming ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2022, beginning March 4. 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. 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," Carter said in an official release. "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," he added. 

Wellington Blaze batter, Georgia Plimmer, will replace Down in the New Zealand squad for the tournament. Auckland Hearts seamer, Molly Penfold, will also join the 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 on Friday in preparation for two ICC Women's Cricket World Cup warm-up matches on February 27 and March 1 against Pakistan and Australia, respectively.

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