Guwahati, Oct 4 : New Zealand have been dealt with an early setback in their Women's World Cup campaign, with left-arm off-spinning allrounder Flora Devonshire ruled out of the tournament due to a hand injury.

Devonshire, who had earned her maiden World Cup call-up, sustained a laceration to her left hand while fielding during a training session and is expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks.

In her place, right-arm pace-bowling allrounder Hannah Rowe has been drafted into the squad. Rowe, a seasoned cricketer with 60 ODI caps, will be attending her third one-day World Cup, bringing valuable experience to the White Ferns setup.

Confirming the development, head coach Ben Sawyer voiced his disappointment at losing Devonshire so early in the tournament. 'We're all feeling for Flora,' he said. 'She worked hard to earn her spot in this squad and it's a real shame her tournament is ending early.'

Sawyer, however, emphasised that including Rowe would bring more depth and experience to the squad. 'We're pleased to be able to call up a senior player in Hannah Rowe,' he said. 'Hannah's obviously not a like-for-like replacement for Flora, but she offers an all-round skillset and has experience in sub-continent conditions.'

Rowe is scheduled to join the team on October 7 in Indore before travelling with the squad to Guwahati for the next leg of the tournament.

The injury comes at a critical time for the White Ferns, who are gearing up to face South Africa in their second ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 match on October 6. Devonshire's absence will be a setback for New Zealand's balance, as the 24-year-old was seen as a promising option with both bat and ball in spin-friendly conditions.

The Sophie Devine-led side started their campaign with a defeat against defending champions Australia on Wednesday. Annabel Sutherland and Sophie Molineux's three-wicket haul overpowered the Kiwi skipper's run-a-ball 112 as the Alyssa Healy-led side kicked off their title defence with an 89-run win.

/IANS