Wilson to replace injured Brunt in England World T20 squad

Fran Wilson will replace the injured Katherine Brunt in the England squad for the World Twenty20, which gets underway in the Caribbean from Friday (November 9).



Brunt, 33, has been a massive part of the English set up, having played 168 international matches across three formats since her debut in 2004.



Her career got a new dimension when she announced herself as a power hitter earlier this year during the series against South Africa at home.



She was expected to play a massive role both with the new ball and with the bat in England’s attempt to win their first T20 title since 2009, but was injured while bowling during the last warm-up game against India. It was her long-standing back injury that flared up after she had five balls in her first over and conceded six runs.



England went on to lose the game, and Mark Robinson, the head coach, did not mince words in expressing how big a loss it would be if Brunt was ruled out. Wilson, a cheeky lower-middle order batter was instrumental in England’s 2017 World Cup winning campaign at home, but her form had tapered off lately as she was not included in the World T20 squad. She, however, will not reach St. Lucia in time for England’s first Group A match against Sri Lanka on November 10.



Wilson, who celebrated her 27th birthday only two days back, was a part of the Western Storm team that made it to the semifinal of the Kia Super League earlier this year. In her last outing, she had made an unbeaten 58 to rescue Storm and take them to 153 for 6 in an unsuccesful chase of 164 against the eventual champions Surrey Stars.



Wilson, who made her England debut in 2010, has represented the country in 14 T20Is for 152 runs with a highest score of 43 not out. She has an average of 21.71 and a strike-rate of 93.82.