Lanning to miss Ashes after shoulder surgey

Cricket Australia (CA) has advised that Australia women’s Captain Meg Lanning has been ruled out of the Women’s Ashes series following surgery on her right shoulder.

Lanning struggled with the shoulder injury during the recent World Cup in England and subsequently missed two games at the global event.

CA Team physiotherapist, Kate Mahony said: “Meg has been managing a right shoulder injury and following the recent World Cup, it became apparent that she would require surgery.

“Meg underwent surgery earlier this week and we expect that she will require a long rehabilitation period of 6-8 months, ruling her out of the upcoming Ashes Series.

“We will continue to monitor her progress, with return to play timelines to become clearer once she has commenced rehabilitation,” said Mahony.

Lanning said: Whilst it’s very disappointing to be unavailable for the Ashes, I’m looking forward to getting stuck into my rehabilitation and returning to cricket as soon as possible.

“It’s an incredibly special occasion for any cricketer to be a part of and I wish the team all the best as they set out to retain the Ashes.”

The National Selection Panel (NSP) will seek Board endorsement for a replacement captain for Lanning ahead of the Ashes series.