Tayla Vlaeminck suffered another injury blow as the the Australian fast bowler was ruled out of the upcoming T20 World Cup due to a stress fractures in her foot. Off-spinner Molly Strano was named as her replacement on Thursday.
The 21-year-old pacer was under an injury cloud when she was spotted in Sydney wearing a moon boot, an ankle brace, on Wednesday.
“Tayla has been in brilliant form of late and established herself as one of the premier fast bowlers in international cricket,” head coach Matthew Mott said. “No one ever wants to see a player miss a major tournament in these kinds of circumstances, but I have no doubt she will bounce back from this setback and play a leading role in Australian squads for many years to come.”
The injury-plagued Vlaeminck is one of the country’s most promising talents and has represented Australia in nine T20Is, six ODIs and one Test match. However, she has already suffered two knee reconstructions because of ACL tears and a dislocated shoulder and another leg injury. She made her debut during the 2018 T20 World Cup, but managed just six games before injury struck again.
The 21-year-old was recently named the Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year at the Australian Cricket Awards.
Strano, 27, has played five T20Is with the last coming at the Ashes 2017. But she was the leading wicket-taker in the recently concluded Women’s Big Bash League and was named Domestic Player of the Year at the Australian Cricket Awards.
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