England without Sciver-Brunt for T20I opener against Pakistan

Nat Sciver-Brunt will miss England's opening T20I against Pakistan at Edgbaston on Saturday after a "minor medical procedure", captain Heather Knight revealed on the night before the game.

Knight said the absence of all-rounder Sciver-Brunt had opened the door for left-hander Freya Kemp to bat at number five. All-rounder Kemp is in England's T20I squad as a batsman only as she continues her return from a back problem.

Knight said to journalists on Friday:

"We obviously played those three T20s in New Zealand without her as well and without a few other players, so that gave us an opportunity to find out about a few people and add to our depth a little bit. Some good young allrounders are coming through. Dani Gibson has been impressive, particularly with the ball at the back end. Freya Kemp is obviously a massive clean ball-striker and a left-hander which we don't have a lot of in England, and when she's back bowling as well, she'll become a real asset.”

Maia Bouchier enjoyed a breakthrough tour of New Zealand in March. She made the most of her opportunities at the top of the order, with Danni Wyatt and Sciver-Brunt arriving late from the WPL, as England won the T20I series 4-1.

That tour was an important stepping stone for England ahead of the T20 Women's World Cup in Bangladesh in October, as was this visit to Pakistan and the upcoming home series against New Zealand in June and July.

Pakistan, meanwhile, is coming off the back of a disappointing tour by the West Indies, who won the T20I series 4-1 and swept the ODIs 3-0. But Knight said there was no room for complacency.

The match in Birmingham is the first of three T20Is between the two sides, with matches in Northampton and Leeds to follow before a three-match ODI series.