Taylor Ruled Out of T20I Series Due to Injury

Barbados: West Indies batter Stafanie Taylor will miss the upcoming T20I series against South Africa. She sustained a shoulder injury, it was announced on Saturday.

Fast bowler Shawnisha Hector has been named as Taylor’s replacement in the squad. The injury occurred during the third and final ODI against South Africa in Barbados, which forced Taylor to retire.

West Indies were all out for 121, failing to chase a revised target of 288 runs, resulting in a 2–1 series defeat. Taylor had previously scored 30 not out and 17 in the first two matches of the series.

Hector, who debuted in ODIs in 2019 and is the first woman from Antigua to represent West Indies, is awaiting her first T20I appearance for the senior team.

The core of the T20I squad remains largely the same. All-rounder Chinelle Henry, who stepped in for Cherry Ann Fraser in the ODI squad, will remain for the T20Is.

The three-match T20I series commenced on June 20 in Barbados. South Africa won the first match by 50 runs, taking the lead in the series. The remaining matches are scheduled for June 22 and June 24 at the same venue.

In related news, star all-rounder Hayley Matthews is also sidelined due to a shoulder injury.

She is set to undergo surgery and will be absent for the entire Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) season. This is a setback for the Melbourne Renegades, her WBBL team.

Matthews sustained the injury while fielding during the first ODI against England and subsequently missed the final two matches of that series.

Despite the injury, she continued to play in the home series against South Africa but has now chosen to undergo surgery for a full recovery.