Sophie Ecclestone, England's No.1-ranked white-ball spinner, has been withdrawn* from this winter's Women's Big Bash League in Australia after sustaining a dislocated right shoulder while warming up for Manchester Originals' match against Southern Brave on Wednesday.
Ecclestone, 24, appeared to be in considerable pain after the incident at Old Trafford, and required assistance to walk off the field and back up to the home changing room. She was pictured in a sling on the team balcony before being taken to hospital for scans and further assessment, with the ECB confirming the nature of the injury on Saturday morning.
Despite the personal setback for Ecclestone, the injury will not immediately unsettle England Women's preparation for the upcoming three T20Is and three ODIs with Sri Lanka. Head coach Jon Lewis had opted to rest Ecclestone for the limited-overs matches to manage her workloads after the first eight months of the year.
Ecclestone's stellar performances this summer helped England to an 8-8 draw in the women's Ashes. She took 5 for 129 and 5 for 63 in the one-off Test before taking 10 wickets split evenly across the ODI and T20I components of the series. Her Hundred season finishes with seven dismissals at 13, and an economy rate of 6.50.
However, her injury is a blow for the WBBL, for which she had been one of a number of England players to enter the tournament's inaugural draft, which takes place on September 3. Her 20 wickets at 17.90 were a key factor in Sydney Sixers' run to the final during the 2022-23 season. As the No.1-ranked bowler in both white-ball formats, she had been expected to be in high demand.
*09.00 BST, August 26 - This story was updated following the ECB's confirmation of the injury