'Shattered' Vlaeminck out of WBBL|11 in latest injury setback

Tayla Vlaeminck's hopes of returning to the field for the upcoming Weber WBBL|11 season have been dashed, with the Australia quick set to be sidelined further as she continues her recovery from shoulder surgery.

Vlaeminck and Australian medical staff had hoped the upcoming season would see the right-armer turn out for the Melbourne Renegades for the first time since she dislocated her right shoulder during Australia's T20 World Cup campaign in October 2024.

But in another cruel setback for the 26-year-old, who when fit is one of the quickest bowlers in the women's game, she has not been able to sufficiently progress her rehabilitation to a point where she will be ready to join the Renegades, with the WBBL season to begin on November 9.

"Following a right shoulder injury sustained during the 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup that required reconstruction surgery, Tayla's recovery has been impacted by ongoing limitations, restricting her ability to progress her bowling and work through the end stages of her return to play plan," Australian Women's Team physiotherapist, Kate Beerworth said in a statement.

This will be the fourth consecutive WBBL season that Vlaeminck will miss as she continues a frustrating run that has seen her stuck in an injury-rehab-injury loop.

"I'm obviously shattered about missing out," Vlaeminck said on Saturday.

"My shoulder's just not loving bowling at the moment. There's not much we can do about that.

"We sort of lined up Big Bash to be that sort of end point, which sat pretty nicely in that year (since the injury) mark, and just in the last sort of four weeks, trying to ramp that up, and it just hasn't responded the way we sort of thought it would.

"I pulled the pin and probably didn't feel confident enough to be able to actually perform if I got out for the Renegades."

After an impressive WBBL|07 with the Hobart Hurricanes in 2021-22, the Victorian moved back to her home state on a two-year deal with the Renegades.

But she sat out the 2022-23 season as she recovered from a navicular stress fracture in her right foot, the same injury that saw her agonisingly ruled out on the eve of Australia's home T20 World Cup in 2020, and she was again sidelined for the entire WBBL|09 season in 2023-24 after undergoing surgery on her left shoulder.

She made her much-anticipated return to international cricket in March 2024 during Australia's tour of Bangladesh, going on to be named in the T20 World Cup squad.

But her hopes of making her mark on that tournament were dashed when she dislocated her right shoulder diving in the field in the first over of her first game, against Pakistan in Dubai on October 11, 2024.

She was subsequently ruled out of WBBL|10 and the remainder of the 2024-25 season in the wake of that injury, meaning Vlaeminck has played just 21 state and Big Bash games and 13 international matches since February 2020.

She has received ongoing support from Cricket Australia, retaining her national contract throughout her spells on the sidelines.

"I think the whole way through, CA has been amazing," said Vlaeminck. "Even offering me the contract this year after not having played a lot of cricket, that was massive for me.

"I just like to consider myself pretty lucky … at the end of the day, I get to go in and do some gym, hang out with a really cool bunch of girls and try and get back on the pitch.

"It's obviously really hard at times, but also there are little ways to make it enjoyable on the way."

Speaking earlier this year, national selector Shawn Flegler had ruled a line through the prospect of Vlaeminck being ready for the current ODI World Cup in India, but said he hoped she would be available to feature in next year's T20 World Cup in the United Kingdom.

Melbourne Renegades will look to their young quicks to cover Vlaeminck's absence as they seek back-to-back titles this season.

During last year's player movement window, they lured CA-contracted pace-bowling allrounder Tess Flintoff away from the Stars, and earlier this month, they revealed they had signed 18-year-old left-armer Sara Kennedy on a one-year deal. Milly Illingworth, 20, will again don the red alongside the experienced Sarah Coyte and West Indian Deandra Dottin.

Renegades general manager James Rosengarten said Vlaeminck remained a big part of the club's WBBL|11 campaign even though the club will announce a replacement in the coming days.

"Tayla has been a valued member of the squad since re-joining us ahead of WBBL|08," he said.

"We knew there was a possibility she might not be available this season given what she had sustained, and there’s been no pressure on her to rush that process. Her long-term health and readiness to perform at her best remain the priority.

"We'll continue to support Tayla alongside Cricket Victoria and Cricket Australia as she works through her recovery."