Sydney Thunder allrounder Olivia Porter ruled out of WBBL06

Sydney Thunder allrounder Olivia Porter has been ruled out of the sixth season of the Women's Big Bash League with a tibial stress reaction, the club announced on Monday (October 19). The teenager, who earned her first full contract after being called up as a local replacement player last season, looked set to make her WBBL debut this year. However, the nature of her injury and the compressed tournament schedule mean Porter - who needs three weeks of rest - will have to miss the tournament.



"It’s like really bad shin splints,” Thunder physiotherapist Katie Ryan explained. “Olivia will need three weeks where she’s unable to do any impact activities – so that’s bowling and running. She’s a fast bowler and that’s a high impact activity."



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“Besides not running for three weeks, she’ll need a slow, progressive return to loading over another three-to-four weeks. The timeline for Olivia’s recovery means she’ll be unavailable for the regular season,” Ryan said.



Earlier, head coach Trevor Griffin had praised Porter's attitude, saying her competitiveness was what stood out about the 18-year-old. The youngster also earned her maiden state contract with Australian Capital Territory and will play for them in the Women's National Cricket League.



While admitting she was disappointed by the setback, Porter said she is committed to returning to the field as soon as possible, and will continue to cheer Thunder on through the competition.



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“I’m looking forward to seeing the WBBL competition thrive, especially during these hard times,” said Porter. “And I really hope to see the Thunder do really well this season."



“Unfortunately, I just can’t make the cut-off time. If it was a longer tournament, I’d still be around the girls and doing my rehab. Unfortunately, times have changed, and you just have to adapt as well as you can. This is something I’ll learn from, and I will move forward,” she signed off.



Thunder are due to kick off their campaign against rivals Sydney Sixers at the North Sydney Oval on Sunday (October 25).



Squad: Rachael Haynes (C), Sam Bates, Tammy Beaumont, Hannah Darlington, Saskia Horley, Shabnim Ismail, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Heather Knight, Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Kate Peterson, Lauren Smith, Rachel Trenaman, Tahlia Wilson