Australia all-rounder Grace Harris has been ruled out of the upcoming ICC Women’s ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka due to a calf strain. Heather Graham has been named as her replacement in the squad.
Graham, who has played just one ODI, will join the squad in India once she finishes Western Australia’s opening Women’s National Cricket League games this week.
Harris, who is 32 years old, sustained the injury while fielding in Australia’s 43-run win, which sealed the series victory by 2-1.
She will return home to Queensland for her recovery ahead of the upcoming Women’s Big Bash League, which starts on 9 November. This setback is particularly tough for Harris, as she was hoping to make her first ODI World Cup appearance after missing out on the final XI in 2022.
Harris’s loss is an opportunity for 28-year-old Graham. Despite having played a limited number of matches at the top level, Graham’s recent form has pushed her case ahead of other available options. The seam-bowling allrounder was in fine form in the T20 Blast for Surrey, where she scored 338 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 156, including a match-winning innings in the final. She continued her form in The Hundred, scoring 214 runs at a strike rate of 174 with an average of 35.66 for London Spirit.
After winning the last ODI series against India 2-1, the Australian team are taking a short break in Bengaluru before preparing to face England in a warm-up match on Sunday.
Updated Australia Squad for the 2025 World Cup:
Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham
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