Australian women’s team have been dominant in Women’s cricket for some time now and captain Meg Lanning has played a huge role for them. The squad will be disappointed as captain Meg Lanning will not take part in Ashes 2023 because of ‘medical issues’. Lanning had taken a four-month mental health break and only returned to cricket in January.
Lanning was withdrawn from the squad on the advice of medical staff, Cricket Australia women’s cricket performance boss Shawn Flegler mentioned that the captain will be missed for the important series as he said, “It’s an unfortunate setback for Meg and she’s obviously disappointed to have been ruled out of the Ashes; it’s a significant series for the team and she’ll be missed, but she understands the need to put her health first.”
A Cricket Australia statement also said, "On the advice of CA medical staff, Lanning has been withdrawn from the squad due to a medical issue which requires management from home. A timeline for Lanning's return to play will become clearer in due course." The timeline for Lanning’s return is still uncertain.
Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy will step up as captain for the tour and pacer Tahlia McGrath will be her deputy. After returning in January, Lanning led Australia to the T20 World Cup title in South Africa during March, before playing in the inaugural Women’s Premier League. This will be the second time Lanning will miss the Ashes as she missed the 2017-18 Ashes with a shoulder injury. The multi-format series starts on June 22 in Nottingham with England looking to reclaim the title after an embarrassing 12-4 loss in the 2021-22 Ashes series.
Australia squad for Ashes 2023:
Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham.