Australian women dealt Ashes blow as captain ruled out of England tour

Australian women’s cricket team captain Meg Lanning has been deemed too unwell to travel to England, in a major blow to her team’s Ashes campaign. 

Lanning, 31, returned to cricket in January after taking time off days after winning Commonwealth Games gold, saying at the time of her decision that “after a busy couple of years” she was taking a “step back to enable me to spend time focusing on myself”.

There was no such personal statement accompanying Saturday’s announcement from Cricket Australia and few details offered as it was confirmed Lanning would need to stay home.

“It’s an unfortunate setback for Meg and she’s obviously disappointed to have been ruled out of the Ashes,” said Shawn Flegler, Australia’s head of women’s cricket performance.

“It’s a significant series for the team and she’ll be missed, but she understands the need to put her health first.

“Meg will remain at home where she will continue to work with medical staff with the aim to return to playing as soon as possible.”

Lanning, who at the age of 21 became Australia’s youngest-ever captain, has led Australia’s domination of women’s international cricket over the last five years.