Australia pacer Darcy Brown ruled out of Women's Big Bash League with back injury
Cricket Australia said the 23-year-old fast bowler will miss the coming WBBL because of a back disc problem that has not healed.
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Australian fast bowler Darcy Brown has been ruled out of the upcoming Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) because of a back disc problem. Cricket Australia announced this on Monday.
An old back injury flared up again during Brown's tour of India, and she had to cut the tour short and return to Australia.
The 23-year-old was part of the Australia A team on the tour and played two T20s and one ODI. The back injury kept her out of the remaining matches. It also affected her international career: she was left out of the Australian squads for the ODI series against Bangladesh and the T20 series against New Zealand.
According to Cricket Australia, Brown underwent medical examination after returning from India. Her injury has not healed fully even after her practice load was reduced for some time. She is still unable to resume practice, so it is unlikely that she will be fully fit by the time the WBBL begins.
The Australian team management is putting Brown's long-term fitness first. Rather than rush her back and raise the risk of injury, it has decided to give her time to recover fully.
Last month, national selection panel member Shawn Flegler told the medical team that he hoped Brown could return in the second half of the tournament. Adelaide Strikers were also hoping for her return. Her exclusion from the entire tournament is now a blow to those hopes.
The past year has been difficult for Brown. She was also left out of the Australian squad for the T20 World Cup. The team management had judged that her pace bowling would be needed less on England's slow pitches.
Brown made her international debut in 2021 at just 18. She made a name for herself quickly with her pace bowling and came to be seen as an important weapon for Australia's future. But repeated injuries are holding back her progress.
Australia's medical team is now trying to get her fit for important tournaments ahead. However, a decision on her return is likely to be taken only once the injury has healed completely.
