Tayla Vlaeminck takes a step back as the T20 World Cup returns

Vlaeminck was trying to put a stop to Muneeba Ali’s fine edge with just the fourth ball of the match in Dubai on Friday. Running from third base, Vlaeminck slipped but his knee caught in his reach and he sent the ball back before falling over the ropes, crying and clutching his shoulder as he did so.

Lying on the edge of the boundary in apparent distress as the Australian team’s medical staff rushed to her aid, captain Alyssa Healy looked distraught.

Vlaeminck’s shoulder was also dislocated and the extent of the injury will be known after further tests in the coming days.

He came into Grace Harris’ squad, adding pace to what Healy described as “an impact” in Australia’s first game of the tournament at the stadium, having opened their campaign with wins over Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Zealand play a bit in Sharjah.

It is the latest in a long line of injuries for 25-year-old Vlaeminck, who is playing in his first World Cup match since 2018, Australia’s group game against India, and only the second of his career.

Vlaeminck dislocated his left shoulder playing for Victoria in the 2017-18 season. Then, during Australia A’s tour of England that coincided with last year’s Women’s Ashes, she dislocated the same shoulder again while bowling, leading to corrective surgery.

Before he made his Australian debut, in 2018, he had two ACL repairs. A stress fracture in his foot also forced him to miss the 2020 domestic T20 World Cup and the 2022 ODI World Cup, the Commonwealth Games later that year and the 2023 T20 World Cup. His foot injury led him to spend time training with professional dancers at the Australian Ballet as part of his rehabilitation.