England seamer Lauren Bell has withdrew from the forthcoming Women’s Premier League and will be replaced by Chamari Athapaththu at UP Warriorz.
Bell has decided to train for England’s upcoming tour of New Zealand, and she is scheduled to leave for Desert Springs on Sunday for a seam bowling camp.
England are scheduled to fly for New Zealand at the end of February, with the series beginning on March 19, two days after the WPL final.
This comes ahead of the T20 World Cup later this year in Bangladesh, when England are unlikely to have a strong contingent of seamers.
UP Warriorz, led by England head coach Jon Lewis, did not go for a like-for-like replacement, but in Athapaththu, they added one of the world’s best players.
The Sri Lanka captain’s failure to secure a deal at the auction came as a surprise after a great year that included being voted player of the tournament in the Women’s Big Bash and, more recently, ICC ODI player of the year.
She was purchased at her basic price of roughly £28,000.
“I look forward to giving my best to the team and working closely with head coach Jon Lewis and skipper Alyssa Healy and help my team lift the coveted title,” said Athapaththu. “The WPL is a very dynamic tournament, and the UP Warriorz is a strong squad.”
