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Sophie Devine will return to lead New Zealand for the third and final ODI against England in Hamilton on Sunday. Devine had missed the fifth T20I and the first two ODIs with a quad strain.
“Having Sophie lead them out tomorrow will fill the team with confidence,” New Zealand head coach Ben Sawyer said. “Sophie is always going to be a big miss whenever she is unavailable so we’re delighted to be able to bring her back.”
Meanwhile, opening batter Bernadine Bezuidenhout has been ruled out of Sunday’s match after pulling her hamstring while fielding during the first innings of the second ODI. Bezuidenhout did not come out to bat during New Zealand’s unsuccessful chase of 253.
Later, a scan revealed a grade 1 hamstring strain that will require “a short period of rehabilitation”, New Zealand Cricket said in a release.
“We’re disappointed for Bernie, who’s already faced her fair share of injury challenges this summer,” Sawyer said. “We’re hoping she will make a quick recovery as we look ahead to a busy winter of cricket.”
England lead the three-match series 2-0.
