England's veteran left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone has decided to take a short break from domestic cricket to prioritise her 'well being'. Ecclestone was initially not included in England's squad under their newly appointed coach, Charlotte Edwards. This decision came as Ecclestone was still in the process of recovering from a knee injury.
Sophie Ecclestone to take a break to prioritise her 'well being'
Earlier in the year, Ecclestone had participated in Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025, playing for the UP Warriorz in February. However, following her time in the league, she faced a setback with her knee, which sidelined her for a period of two months. This also meant she was unable to take part in the beginning of Lancashire's domestic season.
Since then, the world's number one-ranked ODI bowler had made a return to the field, featuring in two one-day matches and six T20 games for her county, Lancashire. Unfortunately, her return has been met with another physical issue. She was recently withdrawn from Lancashire's match against Hampshire on Tuesday due to a problem with her quadriceps muscle.
Despite this latest quad issue, the current information suggests that Sophie Ecclestone remains available for England's upcoming white-ball series against India. The series is scheduled to start on June 28 at Trent Bridge, and her participation will be contingent on her recovery from this minor setback.
"Sophie has been managing a quad niggle over the past week but more importantly she wants to take a step back from cricket for a short period to look after herself. We're totally behind that. We want to be able to select Sophie for the India series but the most important thing for her at the moment is that she feels in a better place. We all agree that a break now could be beneficial for her to achieve that," said Edwards as quoted by BBC.
England's management made it clear that Sophie Ecclestone's absence from the squad for the ongoing series against the West Indies was not connected to the controversy that occurred during the disappointing Ashes tour of Australia earlier in the year.
During that Ashes series, which saw England suffer a significant 16-0 defeat, Ecclestone had declined to participate in a television interview conducted by her former teammate, Alex Hartley. This refusal stemmed from Ecclestone's previous criticism regarding England's fitness levels during the T20 World Cup that took place in November.Despite Ecclestone's absence, England has performed strongly against the West Indies, securing comfortable victories in both the one-day international and T20 series. However, they are anticipating a much more formidable challenge in their upcoming series against India. This series is particularly significant as India is also scheduled to host the 50-over World Cup at the end of September.
"Mental health is so important. If she [Ecclestone] feels she needs a refresh and if she's going to miss a series or a bit of domestic cricket, but it means she's fit for the World Cup, ultimately that's what we want," Hartley told BBC Test Match Special.