England star walks away from Cricket just before India series

England’s star leg-spinner Sophie Ecclestone has decided to take a break from cricket for a short period to focus on her health and well-being. The world’s No. 1 ranked ODI bowler is currently recovering from a minor quad injury after already sitting out of the West Indies series due to a knee issue.

Sophie Ecclestone, who last played in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 earlier this year, was rested for the recent white-ball series against the West Indies. However, the 26-year-old could return for England’s upcoming home series against India starting June 28.

Sophie Ecclestone takes a break from the game

The 26-year-old, who has picked up 297 wickets in 177 international matches for England since making her debut against Pakistan in 2016, got the backing of England's new head coach, Charlotte Edwards, after the ODI series win over West Indies.

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Charlotte Edwards was quoted as saying by ICC, “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. 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.”

Edwards said that Ecclestone wasn’t fully fit for the recent series, and it’s been a difficult time for her to manage both form and fitness, having gone through a challenging six months. However, the spinner played for Lancashire in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.

Charlotte Edwards backs Sophie Ecclestone to make a strong comeback

Since then, she has played eight matches across formats, taking 14 wickets. Ecclestone helped Lancashire to win the T20 Women’s County Cup title, taking 4/12 in the final. She was also brilliant with the bat, scoring 154 runs, including a half-century in her first 50-over game back.

Edwards further noted, “She played some county cricket, so I'm almost certain that she'll be up for selection for the India series, and both of us just want Soph back in this team and in a really good place and really happy.”

She signed off by saying, “Hopefully this little break she's going to have will help her do that, and we look forward to seeing her again in England colors… I think this is the best preparation for Sophie Ecclestone to be ready for selection for India, and that's the most important thing to me.”

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England Women vs India Women Fixtures:

Notably, England Women are all set to host India Women in five T20Is and three ODIs after clean-sweeping West Indies in the three-match ODI series and three-match T20I series at home.

The five T20I matches between India and England will get underway in Nottingham on June 28, then move to Bristol for the second game on July 1, followed by the third game at The Oval on July 4, the fourth in Manchester on July 9, and the fifth in Birmingham on July 12.

After the T20I series, the action shifts to the 50-over format. The three ODIs will take place in Southampton on July 16, the iconic Lord’s on July 19, and Chester-le-Street on July 22.