Ecclestone will take a hiatus from playing domestic cricket in order to prioritise her health.

In order to manage her quad injury and overall health, England cricketer Sophie Ecclestone will take a hiatus from playing domestic cricket. The knee issue kept the 26-year-old, who is ranked as the world’s top ODI bowler, out of England’s squad.

Ecclestone will be eligible for the June 28 start of England’s white-ball series against India at Trent Bridge.

After playing for UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League, the left-arm spinner missed the start of Lancashire’s domestic season and was out for two months. Since then, she has participated in two One-Day matches and six Twenty20 matches for her county; however, she was unable to play in the match against Hampshire due to a quad issue.

England coach Charlotte Edwards stated, “Sophie Ecclestone has been dealing with a quad niggle for the past week, but more importantly, she wants to step back from cricket for a short period of time to look after herself.”

“We wholeheartedly support that. The most important thing for Sophie right now is that she feels better, even though we hope to be able to choose her for the India series. We all agree that she could accomplish it with a break right now,” she continued.

Mental well-being is crucial: Hartley

England explained that the controversy surrounding their poor Ashes tour of Australia earlier in 2025 has nothing to do with Ecclestone’s exclusion from the squad for the current West Indies series.

She refused to take part in a TV interview with former teammate Alex Hartley during England’s 16-0 series defeat. Hartley had previously criticised the team’s fitness levels during the T20 World Cup in November.

England overcame the problems to win the ODI and T20I series against the West Indies. Later in September, India will host the 50-over World Cup, and they are now getting ready to play them.

“Mental well-being is crucial. We eventually want Ecclestone to be ready for the World Cup, so if she feels she needs a change of pace and is going to miss a series or some domestic cricket, that’s what we want,” Hartley said on BBC Test Match Special.