Lanning out of Ashes with ‘medical issue’

Australia captain Meg Lanning was on Saturday ruled out of the upcoming women’s Ashes series against England due to a “medical issue”, with Alyssa Healy to skipper the side. The 31-year-old only returned to the team in January after a six-month break to “focus on myself”, days after winning gold at the Commonwealth Games in August. On her return, she led Australia to victory at the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa and took Delhi Capitals to the final of the inaugural Women’s Premier League in India. Cricket Australia said in a statement that Lanning would miss the upcoming tour to England “due to a medical issue which requires management from home”. No timeframe was given for her return.