CHRISTCHURCH, March 29: Veteran West Indies spinner Afy Fletcher has been ruled out of the Women’s ODI World Cup semi-final against Australia after testing positive for COVID-19, the ICC said on Tuesday.
Fletcher, who has played 58 ODIs, is a vital cog in the Caribbean side and her absence will reduce West Indies’ bowling options against the powerful Australia line-up.
Mandy Mangru, who is in New Zealand as a travelling reserve, has been drafted into the squad as Fletcher’s replacement and is in contention to play her first game of the tournament on Wednesday.
Mangru has played just one ODI for the West Indies and that came in the lead-up to the World Cup when she earned a debut against South Africa in Johannesburg last month.
Mangru is a temporary replacement for Fletcher.
A COVID replacement can be temporary, which means once the affected player has recovered, he or she would be eligible to return to the squad in place of the travelling reserve.
Any replacement in the squad requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the player can be officially added to the squad. (PTI)
