Foot injury puts Vlaeminck’s Ashes hopes in doubt

Australian captain Meg Lanning has opened up on the shock axing of Ellyse Perry, as the team sweats over scans on injured fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck.

The pace ace pulled up with a sore right foot after Australia’s opening Twenty20 win over England on Thursday and was in a moon boot and ruled out of Saturday’s clash at the Adelaide Oval, which was abandoned because of heavy rain after 25 deliveries.

Lanning said the home side hoped the injury was not serious.

Tayla Vlaeminck. Credit:Getty Images

“We are assessing that at the moment, and we will do that over the course of today and the next few days, and we will know more after that. Fingers crossed for her,” Lanning said.

“It’s always hard to tell with ‘Tay’ – she puts on a pretty brave face. I just had a quick chat with her today. She seems OK, but it’s hard to get a read on it at the moment.”

Vlaeminck, 23, took the new ball (0-29) in the nine-wicket win on Thursday and was primed to have a key role through her second Ashes campaign.

This injury is of significant worry for it’s to the same foot which she fractured on the eve of the home Twenty20 World Cup in 2020 and forced her to the sidelines for a year.

Fellow quick Darcie Brown replaced Vlaeminck on Saturday, with selectors again overlooking Perry. The veteran all-rounder – one of the greatest cricketers in the history of the sport – was overlooked for Thursday’s clash after a modest WBBL campaign.

Australian great Mel Jones said on Saturday Perry, 31, may have played her last T20 international but remains a key player in the Test and one-day international formats, which follow this three-match T20 component of the Ashes.

Perry will need to improve her power hitting in the middle order if she is to return to the T20 side – she has a career strike rate of 105.47 – while Lanning said the team now had other bowling options ahead of a woman voted in 2020 as the ICC’s female cricketer of the decade, including the best T20 player.

Meg Lanning has suggested Ellyse Perry may have to adjust her game to get back in the side. Credit:Getty Images

Grace Harris, who is known for muscling the ball, took Perry’s spot on Thursday, but it’s Tahlia McGrath who has emerged as the team’s No.1 all-rounder.

Lanning said selection for the T20 side was becoming more “role specific”, with Perry, a veteran of 126 T20 internationals and 155 T20 wickets, unable to slot in.

“It’s something that we have spoken about a lot – the T20 format becoming really role specific. Those five, six, seven roles with the bat, you don’t face many balls with the bat, I think it’s maybe a maximum of 10, so we need players that can come in and impact the game straight away,” Lanning said.

“That played a part in the decision as well. We have gone down the path of playing a lot of all-rounders as well over the last few years. That was the other part to is as well – with our bowling, I guess we just had other options to go to ahead of her. We like to have players within our side that can contribute with bat and ball.

“No doubt, it shows how much the game has improved and the depth we have got as well in Australian cricket. Ellyse is a great of the game and always will be. It’s just at the moment, we feel we can pick players to play specific roles. At the moment, Ellyse did not fit into that, but that is not to say she can’t fight back and play a little differently and play a role for us.”

England will now seek to rebound in Sunday’s third and final T20 clash in Adelaide. Play was initially delayed by 50 minutes on Saturday because of rain and then lasted only a tick over four overs after Lanning won the toss and opted to bowl.

The tourists were 0-25, with Danni Wyatt unbeaten on 14 and Tammy Beaumont six not out, when rain forced players from the field. Each side was awarded a point.

Lanning said she would have loved for a match to have gone ahead but said the rules were that the timing could not be pushed back, as has been used on occasions in men’s T20 internationals.

Injured Australian opening batter Beth Mooney, having broken her jaw and undergone surgery on Tuesday, is back in the nets and hopes to return to the side later in the series.

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