WNCL: West Australian quick Tanelae Peschel ruled out of matches against ACT, but season not over yet

Western Australia are confident injury-plagued pace bowler Taneale Peschel can return in time for their final two Women’s National Cricket League games of the season. Peschel has been ruled out of Friday and Sunday’s matches against ACT Comets in Canberra after she missed two defeats to Victoria last week. The injury to Peschel’s squad was understood to be minor, but has stretched into another week. It is the latest blow in a frustrating run for the quick, who missed almost all of pre-season with a back injury and then was ruled out of early matches with her first quad issue of the summer. As reported by The West Australian on Tuesday, star teenage quick Chloe Ainsworth has headed straight from the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia to Canberra for the two matches. And their pace stocks could also be bolstered by the debut of Worcestershire quick Emily Arlott, who has been playing for South Perth this summer. Arlott has been picked at the expense of fellow Englishwoman Naomi Dattani because teams are restricted to one international for any match. Dattani had played the past four matches for WA amid her third season as an overseas player for Midland-Guilford. Zoe Britcliffe was the only other seamer — alongside Dattani — for the second of their two defeats to Victoria last week. Victorian seamer Maddie White, who moved to Perth in part to pursue an opportunity with Melville in Premier Cricket, has held her place in the squad and could still debut. Ashes heroes Beth Mooney and Alana King will rest after the series whitewash over England.