Australian cricket star Megan Schutt flags retirement plan as Tayla Vlaeminck faces setback

A five-time World Cup-winning Australian cricketer has flagged her plan to retire, as a rising star faces a surgery setback.

Megan Schutt has flagged her potential international retirement after next year’s one-day World Cup while fellow seamer Tayla Vlaeminck is expected to undergo surgery on her injured shoulder.

The wounds of Australia’s rare Twenty20 World Cup failure remain awfully raw for several “gutted” members of the squad ahead of Sunday’s start to the Women’s Big Bash League season in Adelaide.

The Aussies’ shock semi-final loss to South Africa earlier this month has flavoured the build-up to the 10th WBBL season, launched at a public event at Rundle Mall on Saturday.

Veteran Schutt, 31, who will again line up for the two-time defending champion Adelaide Strikers, said the younger members of Australia’s squad had been shaken by the eight-wicket loss to the Proteas.

Megan Schutt has announced her potential international retirement plan. Picture: Getty Images

“I know the kids took it pretty hard, and for some of them that was their first loss in any game ever in a World Cup,” Schutt said.

“I think it will burn a lot for them, it will give them a greater perspective and a lot of hunger for the next one too, I don’t doubt.”

For Schutt, a five-time World Cup winner across formats who has also taken more Twenty20 international wickets than any other woman, that one-day World Cup in India next September and October is a foreseeable end point to her outstanding career for Australia, with the South Australian ruling out a bid to play at the 2028 Olympics,

“There’s no desire for me to kick on that long. I don’t have that much left in the tank to get to 2028,” she said.

“I’m thinking maybe next year’s World Cup in terms of Aussie colours, if we go out on a winning that would be very tempting to end it there.

“I don’t really like putting an end date on it because I don’t want to really make it about myself at all have people playing for you because I think that’s just a bit embarrassing, but 12 months would be the goal and if anything happens beyond that, that would be great. But I’ve been playing a very long time and I think I’ll be divorced if I keep going on any longer.”

Megan Schutt has been a mainstay of the Australian team for years. Picture:Getty Images

Injury-plagued quick Vlaeminck has been ruled out the WBBL after dislocating her shoulder in the World Cup match against Pakistan.

Her national and Melbourne Renegades teammate Georgia Wareham, also a close friend, said Vlaeminck was holding up OK in the circumstances.

“Tay’s going all right I think, given the circumstances. It’s bloody tough, and to see your mate go through that, it really sucks,” Wareham said.

Wareham added that while she was unclear on the exact plan for Vlaeminck, she would “assume surgery would be happening.”

Tayla Vlaeminck is facing a sting on the sidelines to surgically repair her shoulder. Picture: Getty Images

The leg-spinning all-rounder said she was keen to have another crack batting at No. 3 in the national T20 side despite scores of 3, 0 and 5 in the role during the tournament in the UAE. However Wareham acknowledged the side had plenty of options in the position, adding that she would likely bat down the order for the Renegades.

“I would love to get another opportunity at that. I guess it didn’t really work out this World Cup, numbers-wise and whatnot. It’s tricky with our order, because I feel like anyone could come in at three and do a really good job,” Wareham said.

Both Wareham and fellow all-rounder Ash Gardner said they had been “gutted” by the loss but Sydney Sixers star Gardner added that “the sun came up and you’ve got to get over that stuff knowing that I’ve got some more cricket that was just around the corner.”

Originally published as Australian cricket star Megan Schutt flags retirement plan as Tayla Vlaeminck faces setback