England spinner Sophie Ecclestone taking break to ‘prioritise her well-being’

England spinner Sophie Ecclestone is taking a break from domestic cricket with Lancashire to “prioritise her well-being” and rest a minor quad injury.

The left-armer, ranked the number one one-day international bowler in the world, remains available for her country and is earmarked to face India later this month.

Ecclestone has yet to feature under new head coach Charlotte Edwards due to a knee injury at the start of the season but has featured eight times for her county in the new tier one structure.

The 26-year-old, who found herself criticised for refusing a television interview with former England player Alex Hartley during the Ashes whitewash at the start of the year, is now stepping away for the next three weeks.

She hopes to return in time to join England’s squad for the first T20 against India at Trent Bridge on June 28.

Edwards said: “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.”

A short statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board said: “Sophie Ecclestone will take a break from domestic cricket in order to manage a minor quad injury and prioritise her well-being.

“She remains available for selection for England Women’s upcoming series against India.”