The Melbourne Renegades have announced that Tayla Vlaeminck will be unavailable for the 10th season of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), marking her third consecutive year away from the tournament due to injury.
Vlaeminck sustained a shoulder dislocation while fielding in a Group A match against Pakistan during the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup this month, preventing her from participating in WBBL|10.
The 25-year-old fast bowler has faced a challenging series of injuries, which have kept her out of the WBBL since November 2021, when she played for the Hobart Hurricanes. Although she signed with the Renegades before the 2022-23 season, she has yet to don the team colors after her prior appearance in the 2018-19 season.
Following her stint with the Hurricanes over two seasons, Vlaeminck returned to the Renegades on a two-year contract. Unfortunately, she missed the entire 2022-23 season while recuperating from a navicular stress fracture in her right foot, an injury that also sidelined her from Australia’s home T20 World Cup in 2020.
Despite marking her long-awaited comeback to international cricket in March 2024 during Australia’s tour of Bangladesh and showcasing her speed in the Australia A series versus India A in August, Vlaeminck’s injury woes persist with this recent shoulder dislocation. Her history includes two previous dislocations of her left shoulder—first during the 2017-18 season while representing Victoria, and again in 2022 during the Australia A tour of England, both of which necessitated corrective surgery.
Since before her international debut in 2018, Vlaeminck’s career has been marred by injuries. She has undergone two ACL reconstructions and dealt with various stress fractures in her foot, resulting in her missing the 2020 T20 World Cup, the 2022 ODI World Cup, the Commonwealth Games, and the 2023 T20 World Cup. During her rehabilitation, she even trained with professional dancers at the Australian Ballet to aid in her recovery.
To date, Vlaeminck has played for Australia in 1 Test, 8 ODIs, and 20 T20Is, accumulating a total of 25 wickets across formats (7 in ODIs and 18 in T20Is). In the WBBL, she has participated in 33 matches for both the Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Renegades, securing 27 wickets, with her best performance being 4/29.
Her absence is a significant setback for the Renegades, who had hoped her express pace would reinforce their bowling lineup. With their season opener against the Sydney Sixers scheduled for October 27th, the Renegades will have to revisit their strategic plans ahead of the campaign.
Image Source: Tayla Vlaeminck @ Instagram
