Mahika Gaur withdraws from Women's Hundred due to side strain

Mahika Gaur, England's highly-rated left-arm seamer, has withdrawn from this year's Women's Hundred, to continue her recovery from a side strain

Gaur, 18, had been retained by Manchester Originals after impressing in her debut season last year, but will instead use the competition's month-long window to continue her rehabilitation, under the supervision of the medical teams at both the ECB and her regional side, Thunder.

Gaur was not available for England's early-season white-ball series against Pakistan, as she was completing her A-levels, but was then ruled out of the T20I squad to face New Zealand this month after picking up her injury.

Her absence from the Hundred could impact her hopes of breaking into England's squad for the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, with that competition set to form a key part of the players' preparation in the absence of any other bilateral cricket prior to their departure in October.

Gaur, who represented UAE from the age of 12, made a strong impression in her first England appearances against Sri Lanka last summer, including with figures of 3 for 26 on her ODI debut at Chester-le-Street in September.