Australia face fitness concern as fast bowler injured against Pakistan

Match Centre and Scorecard

Tayla Vlaeminck had been brought into the Australia side having spent the team’s opening two games in the dugout.

But the 25-year-old suffered an injury in the field off just the fourth ball of the innings, dislocating her right shoulder.

Vlaeminck chased down an outside edge, but her knee stuck in the ground as she attempted a slide, and on reaching out for balance she hurt the previously-injured shoulder.

Unfortunate injury forces Vlaeminck off the field | WT20WC 2024

Speaking between innings, her teammate Megan Schutt spoke about her teammate, saying: “She gives a hundred percent all the time. We will rally around her and try to keep her happy.”

And in a statement released later in the game, the Australian team said:

“Tayla dislocated her right shoulder while attempting to stop a boundary. Her shoulder is now relocated and the extent of the injury will be known following further assessment over the coming days.”

Following the match, Tahlia McGrath said that the players will rally around the injured bowler, and that it was difficult but important for the team that they focussed on the match itself.

“Heartbroken for her, she's had a really unlucky run of injuries and has done some really hard rehab so we'll rally around her and see what comes in the next few days," McGrath said.

“We all love Tayla. It was pretty hard to watch to be honest it was really hard… so it was just (a case of) come together as a group and focus on the job at hand and we'll get around her after the game. It's really important in that moment just to refocus and regroup.”

Australia will be hoping that the injury isn’t serious for a player who has suffered a string of unfortunate fitness setbacks in her career.

First capped at the age of 20, the pace bowler picked up a stress fracture in her foot to rule her out of the 2020 edition of this tournament, before also missing the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup through a shoulder injury, and not recovering form and fitness in time to force her way into Australia’s winning squad in South Africa in 2023.

Vlaeminck came into this tournament with 28 caps for her country across the three formats, and has an impressive T20 record.

The injury wasn't the only significant one for Australia on the day, with captain Alyssa Healy later pulling up when attempting to run a single and being forced to retire hurt in some discomfort.

Healy hobbles and retires hurt in Pakistan chase | WT20WC 2024

A statement from Australia later confirmed the injury and said that the captain will continue to be assessed:

"Alyssa sustained an acute right foot injury while running between wickets. Once we have more information based on her assessment and scans tomorrow, her availability for the remainder of the tournament will be clearer."

Australia conclude their Group A campaign against India in Sharjah on Sunday.