After nearly two years dominated by rehabilitation and setbacks, Victoria fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck is finally looking forward again. The 27-year-old quick is targeting a full domestic season in 2026-27 as she continues building toward a long-awaited return following another injury setback that stalled one of Australian cricket’s most promising careers.
Vlaeminck travelled to Leeds this week for a month-long training stint with Yorkshire’s women’s county side through Cricket Victoria’s overseas partnership program. After spending much of the past 18 months recovering from a serious shoulder injury suffered during the 2024 T20 World Cup, the opportunity provides more than just a change of scenery during Melbourne’s winter.
For the Victorian quick, it represents a chance to return to something she has missed throughout rehabilitation, simply focusing on cricket improvement rather than recovery. “I feel like I’ve done an 18-month preseason, so I wasn’t that keen on stopping bowling and a bit of sun and turf over there will be nice,” Vlaeminck said.
The latest setback arrived in heartbreaking fashion during Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign in 2024, when she suffered a serious shoulder injury in the opening over of her first match of the tournament. It continued a difficult run of injuries that have repeatedly interrupted her progress at both domestic and international level.
Recovery became less about performance and more about rebuilding basic cricket capacity. Long rehabilitation periods often force players to shift priorities entirely, replacing skill development with recovery programs and workload management. “Sometimes, when you’re in rehab for so long, you lose the ability to actually work on your skills and try and improve your cricket,” Vlaeminck said. “It’s more about being able to just bowl in the first place.”
Her first major step back came in March during Cricket Australia’s Green v Gold development fixture in Sydney. The three-day match marked Vlaeminck’s first competitive appearance since her shoulder injury and provided a vital confidence boost after several interrupted comeback attempts. Carefully managed throughout the game, she bowled 12 overs and claimed a wicket with just her ninth delivery. More importantly, she completed the match physically intact.
The challenges of rehabilitation, however, extended beyond physical recovery. Extended injury absences often isolate players from the daily routines and environments that make elite sport rewarding. “I think it’s probably one of the hardest things about being in rehab, you spend so much time like away from the group, and even though you try and still be social and still be part of it, it’s not quite the same as being around the nets and during harder sessions and stuff,” Vlaeminck said.
The lengthy time away from regular training environments has only strengthened her appreciation for being back around teammates again. After spending months on the sidelines, gym work and recovery programs have gradually given way to bowling workloads and cricket preparation. . “I’ve obviously done a fair whack on the sidelines, in the gym and stuff, so I’m just really enjoying bowling and actually being around the group,” Vlaeminck said.
Following her England training period, Vlaeminck hopes to attend part of the T20 World Cup in London before returning home to continue Victoria’s preparations for the Women’s National Cricket League season beginning in September. Her return could provide an important boost for Victoria after the state endured its worst campaign in history last season, finishing winless at the bottom of the table.
(Quotes sourced from cricket.com.au)
Loves all things female cricket