Tayla Vlaeminck ruled out of AUS-NZ series, WBBL

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Tayla Vlaeminck ruled out of AUS-NZ series, WBBL

Tayla Vlaeminck in action. © Jan Kruger/ Herald Sun

Speedster Tayla Vlaeminck, who was ruled out of the T20 World Cup due to a foot injury, has been ruled out of Australia's series against New Zealand as well as the Women’s Big Bash League, national selector Shawn Flegler announced on Friday (August 21).

“Tayla has had a slight setback in her return from the foot injury she suffered ahead of the T20 World Cup which means she’ll miss this series as well as this season’s rebel WBBL tournament,” said Flegler.

“Our initial plans were to get her back for the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand but now that’s been postponed we’ll take a conservative approach with her and give her as much time as she needs to get her body right without the pressure of a timeframe. Tayla is your true tear-away quick which we love, but we need to make sure we look after her long-term future. She’s going to be a serious long-term player for Australia.”

Vlaeminck, who was awarded with a central contract for 2020-21, was injured just before Australia's campaign got underway and was replaced by Molly Strano in the World Cup. A recurrence of her ankle pain meant that her recovery path had changed, revealed the physio Kate Beerworth. With the postponement of the Women’s World Cup 2021, Australia could plan to ease the pacer back into action gradually.

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“Tayla had a recurrence of right medial ankle pain three weeks ago as she was working through her rehab from the navicular stress fracture she sustained in February,” said Beerworth.

“Her recovery has been trending in right direction but it’s just not going to be soon enough for the demands on international cricket and a busy Big Bash schedule. The tricky nature of a navicular injury means it’s more a long-term play and we’ll be guided by Tayla’s symptoms as we look to get her back to full fitness.”

“She’s only young and it’s important we look after her future, so we won’t rush anything.”

Australia skipper Meg Lanning, while empathising with the pacer, said they won’t rush her back and expects her to play a big role for Australia in the future.

“She’s obviously very frustrated with the situation she’s in and a slight setback. But she’s dealt with the whole situation extremely well. She’s dealt with a few injuries in her time being unlucky. It’s unfortunate for her that she won’t be available for this series or the WBBL but she’s been taking her rehab with a lot of passion and really just trying to get back as quickly as she can,” Lanning said.

“She’s such a great talent that she’s going to be a part of the Australian setup for a long time to come. We are very keen to make sure she gets her body right and don’t rush anything because once she gets back, we want her to be playing for a long period of time.”
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