Sophie Ecclestone Takes A Mental Health Break Ahead Of India's Tour Of England

Ace left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone has withdrawn from domestic cricket in England to look after her well-being and will now aim to make her return ahead of India's tour of England, starting June 28 in Nottingham.

Notably, Ecclestone has been under a lot of pressure ever since England's one-sided loss in the Women’s Ashes and received a lot of criticism from the media when she denied an interview to former English spinner Alexandra Hartley. Hartley had earlier questioned the fitness standards of the English team that toured Australia. 

Clare Connor, managing director of England women's cricket, had then described Ecclestone's interview refusal as "an unfortunate incident that won't happen again".

Coach Charlotte Edwards also informed that Ecclestone has been nursing a small niggle, and will also be taking time off to focus on her wellbeing so that she can return rejuvenated and ready for selection in the India series that would include five T20Is and three ODIs.  

“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,” Edwards said in a statement.

"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.”

While Ecclestone has been performing well for Lancashire this domestic season, she slipped from the number one spot in the T20I bowlers ranking, which she dominated for a long time, as Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal replaced her. However, she remains the No. ODI bowler.