Tayla Vlaeminck suffers another setback with a knee injury ruling her out of WBBL|04
Another injury blow for young quick
Promising young Melbourne Renegades fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck will miss the remainder of the Rebel WBBL season after injuring her left knee at training on Monday.
The 20-year-old quick suffered a partial ACL strain, which will see the Bendigo product sidelined for up to six weeks.
It's a disappointing blow for Vlaeminck, a member of Australia's victorious 2018 T20 World Cup squad who has already missed more than her share of cricket due to injury.
But there'll also be a degree of relief that the damage was not worse – Vlaeminck has already had two knee reconstructions due to ruptured ACLs.
Australia are due to meet New Zealand in three one-day internationals from February 22 and, all going well, Vlaeminck should be back on the field in time to be considered for selection.
Vlaeminck played her maiden ODI against Pakistan in Malaysia last October, before debuting in the 20-over format during the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.
She then made her Big Bash debut for the Renegades at the opening weekend of WBBL|04 in Melbourne, having been sidelined through the previous two seasons – first due to the second of her two knee reconstructions, then due to a dislocated shoulder.
First she showed off her skills on the decks, now Sophie Molineux has taken out the inaugural 'Housemates Table Tennis Championship'! We're sure this wouldn't be a competitive household at all...😂 pic.twitter.com/j0475Ge1dN— Australian Women's Cricket Team 🏏 (@SouthernStars) November 19, 2018
It's also a blow for the Renegades, who posted back-to-back wins against the Melbourne Stars in the past week to move within three points of the top four.
The Renegades will meet the Hobart Hurricanes at Geelong's GMHBA Stadium on Thursday from 2.50pm AEDT, with Vlaeminck to now miss the much-anticipated 'housemates showdown'.
Vlaeminck and her Renegades (and Australian) teammates Sophie Molineux and Georgia Wareham all share a house in Melbourne's suburbs with fellow Victorian Rhiann O'Donnell, who has this year made the switch to the Hurricanes.
"We're all very competitive and we've seen it on the table-tennis table over the past couple of months since we've lived together so I'm sure that'll come out on the field as well," Vlaeminck told cricket.com.au last week.
"I think she's having a good time over there, she'll really enjoying herself and hopefully she's out on the pitch when we come up against her.
"There'll maybe be a few one-liners here or there, we'll see what happens."