World Cup squad omission 'feels savage' - Cross

Kate Cross has taken 101 wickets in 76 ODIs, but only three in four matches this summer

Being left out of England's squad for the Women's World Cup in India and Sri Lanka "feels savage", says Kate Cross.

Seamer Cross, 33, was the most notable omission from head coach Charlotte Edwards' 15-player squad announced on Thursday for the tournament, which runs from 30 September to 2 November.

She has struggled for form since suffering a back injury at the end of 2024 but is one of England's most experienced one-day international players and opened the bowling in the first match of last month's ODI series against India.

"What I'm really struggling to get my head around is it all feels like it's happened so quickly," she told the No Balls podcast.

"I've just clearly fallen out of favour with Lot [Edwards]. I haven't processed it. It's still really raw."

Cross did not play in the second ODI against India at Lord's after it was reduced to 29 overs per side because of rain, and was then dropped for the series decider at Chester-le-Street.

She said she first felt she might not make the World Cup squad after she was not selected for that match, which England lost to suffer a 2-1 series defeat.

Despite her recent struggles, with the back injury meaning she did not play a game in England's dire 16-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia earlier this year, Cross felt she had done enough to make the squad.

"Being in the best XI is a different conversation," she said. "But not being on the plane - it feels savage."

Cross said being told she had not been selected was "one of the worst" days of her career and left her feeling "quite sick".

"The messages I've had from everyone have been amazing," she said. "And ultimately I'm not going to be playing some cricket - it's minuscule in that sense.

"But it's hard to take because I don't feel like I've done enough to deserve not being on that plane."

England captain and all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt is expected to be fit enough to bowl in the World Cup, with Edwards picking Em Arlott, Lauren Bell and Lauren Filer as the only three other seamers, given surfaces are expected to favour slow bowling.

Cross, who is playing for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, said she still needs to have a conversation with Edwards about whether she will be on standby in case of injury to one of those seamers.

"That's almost the hardest," added Cross. "If someone goes down, you might be playing in three weeks' time in a World Cup - then everything you feel right now is so confused and manipulated almost because you've got to spin it around."