Ecclestone to take break to 'prioritise wellbeing'
England spinner Sophie Ecclestone will take a break from domestic cricket as she manages a quad injury and to "prioritise her wellbeing". Ecclestone, 26, was left out of England's first squad under new coach Charlotte Edwards because she was recovering from a knee injury. She played for the UP Warriorz in India's Women's Premier League in February but was sidelined for two months and missed the beginning of Lancashire's domestic season. The left-arm spinner has since played two one-day matches and six T20s for her county, but was withdrawn from their match against Hampshire on Tuesday because of the quad problem. At this stage, Ecclestone, who is the number one-ranked ODI bowler in the world, remains available for England's white-ball series against India, which begins on 28 June at Trent Bridge. "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," said Edwards. "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."
England insisted Ecclestone's omission from the squad for the ongoing West Indies series was not related to the controversy that overshadowed an awful Ashes tour of Australia earlier this year. During England's 16-0 series defeat Ecclestone refused to take part in a TV interview conducted by former team-mate Alex Hartley, following her criticism of England's fitness during the T20 World Cup in November.England have comfortably beaten West Indies, winning both the one-day international and T20 series, but are expected to face a much greater challenge against India, who are also hosting the 50-over World Cup at the end of September. "Mental health is so important," Hartley told BBC Test Match Special during the final ODI against West Indies at Taunton."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."
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