Scholfield injured her ankle during training on Tuesday and, following further assessment on Wednesday morning, withdrew from the T20I squad to return to the UK and begin her rehabilitation.
“We’re obviously really gutted for Paige,” teammate Danni Wyatt-Hodge said. “She’s also a good friend of mine, so I was really sad to see her on the floor yesterday. But she’s a tough cookie. She hasn’t had any luck with injuries in recent years. But she smiles and stays positive, and she actually told me she’s looking forward to getting into rehab and getting back into shape.
Capsey had already been recalled late to the tour of South Africa to cover what England described as some minor issues within the T20 squad, leaving her stint in the WBBL with the Melbourne Renegades, before Scholfield be injured.
Shortly before leaving the UK for South Africa, Scholfield spoke of her delight at being selected for the trip to her birthplace, having made her England debut aged 28 during from the Ireland tour in September.
“I thought it was my England A coach calling me, so I got the wrong coach,” Scholfield told ESPNcricinfo about his call-up for the Ireland trip. “It was so unexpected and I was so excited and I just couldn’t believe it was happening. If I’m honest, I’m still trying to regulate my feelings about it.
“Talking to my mum and dad, when I told them about this tour of South Africa, they were over the moon, being die-hard South Africans, they just couldn’t believe it. My mother started to cry. It’s so exciting and I just hope it continues to happen.
Scholfield was the fifth highest scorer in the Charlotte Edwards Cup T20 competition this year with 259 runs at an average of 43.16 and a strike rate of 140.00 with a best score of 73 not out. She also scored 190 runs in the Women’s Hundred, hitting at 137.68 with a highest score of 71 from 40 balls playing for Oval Invincibles.
“She definitely deserved a chance to be part of the team for this series,” Wyatt-Hodge added. “She has had some outstanding performances over the last two years for South East Stars and in the Hundred also for the Invincibles. So obviously we’re gutted for her, but I’m sure she’ll get plenty more opportunities to show what she can do in England colors.
Scholfield credited the continued professionalisation of the domestic women’s structure in England and Wales, which began in 2020, with helping her achieve her goal of representing the country she has lived in since age 12 years old.
“I’m 28 years old, I had very little hope that I would be able to represent my country with these young people who are just incredibly talented,” Scholfield said. “But this county setup now allows players like me to still have that ambition to represent their country and show the rest of the world what we can do, and that age is just a number and I can still jump in and hit a few balls.
“It’s an exciting time and I really enjoy the direction the game is going and hope it continues to grow to the point where we can get to where men are at, make a career and travel the world doing it. doing.”
The multi-format series between South Africa and England begins on Sunday with the first of three T20Is in East London, followed by three ODIs and a Test.