We are just two days away from the start of Women’s Ashes and there are some big updates coming from the Australian camp. The Australian Women’s Cricket Team took to Twitter to share a couple of unfortunate news which includes the Covid fear becoming a reality in the camp and a major blow to the batting lineup.
ICC ranked No. 1 T20I batter and all-time leading run-scorer in WBBL, Beth Mooney has sustained a jaw fracture during a training session which has cast doubt on her availability for the two major competitions coming up Ashes as well as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. As tweeted by the team, Mooney would be undergoing surgery after which her availability will be confirmed.
Commenting on her injury, the team’s coach Matthew Mott referred to her as an ‘incredibly tough character’ as per a report by cricket.com.au and said,
“Beth was batting incredibly well and as can happen, just a rogue ball came up and put her in a tough position and she tried to get out of the way, but copped it on the side of the chin,”
“The good news is our doctors are pretty positive that the way that jaw surgeries are working these days, the comeback time is a bit shorter.
Big Updates from Australia
Beth Mooney’s availability for Women’s Ashes will be confirmed after her surgery. She injured her jaw (fracture) during training yesterday. (Source: Cricket Australia)#CricketTwitter #Ashes
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) January 18, 2022
“She’s in good spirits … hopefully she gets that through that surgery well and we can find out exactly when she can re-enter the group.
“We’ll have to be smart about that and what it looks like for her and listen to the surgeons, he further added.
In another key update, the top player of Women’s Ashes, Ellyse Perry missed Australia’s warm-up matches against the ‘A’ team from the country due to the Covid scare but she is expected to be available for the T20Is starting January 20.
The other big blow is from the Australia ‘A’ squad where Coronavirus has hit the camp. WBBL all-time leading wicket-taker Molly Strano and Adelaide Striker’s leading run-scorer in the 2021-22 edition of the league, Katie Mack have tested positive for the virus and won’t be traveling to Adelaide where the Ashes are scheduled to begin. Youngster Courtney Webb has been called as a cover for them.
With these uncertainties arising in the squad just a couple of days before their race to defend the Ashes title begin, Mott further informed that
“(The selectors) will certainly sit down today and just work out what is the best for this group.”
Just a few days back we heard Australia’s captain Meg Lanning talking about the fear sudden rise in Covid-19 cases has brought and how a case in the team will raise some major concerns after a warning was issued by Cricket Australia which stated that if a player tests positive for Covid-19 during the Ashes, she won’t be traveling to New Zealand for the World Cup. The notice further mentioned that late additions to the World Cup squad wouldn’t be allowed adhering to the mandatory Quarantine protocols by the World Cup host New Zealand.
Meanwhile, a positive case was confirmed in England’s camp last Friday where a member of the team’s support staff got infected with the virus.
Source: cricket.com.au
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