Cricket Australia have confirmed the worse-case scenario for injured legspinner Georgia Wareham, who will miss next year's Ashes, one-day World Cup and Commonwealth Games.
Wareham ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during the Melbourne Renegades' WBBL loss to Adelaide last month.
It's the same knee the 22-year-old had reconstructed using a synthetic (LARS) ligament after a rupture as a 14-year-old while playing Australian rules football.
Australian team doctor Pip Inge said the fact that graft had been ruptured would mean Wareham faced a two-stage process to surgically repair the injury.
"She had a knee arthroscopy in Adelaide last week to remove the previous graft and will now commence rehab in Melbourne while she awaits for the knee to be ready for the ACL reconstruction in early 2022," Inge said.
It means Wareham has an undetermined return to play date but she will definitely miss August's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham as well as this summer's Ashes and the World Cup in New Zealand in March.
Confirmation of Wareham's lengthy recovery is a huge blow to Australia given her status as the nation's first choice wrist-spinner.
Since debuting in 2018, Wareham hasn't relinquished her spot in the national team.
In T20 cricket she averages 13.52 with the ball and goes at less than six an over, while in one-day cricket her economy rate is at a lowly 4.24.
She had also started the WBBL with 3-13 for the Renegades against Hobart, as many wickets as she took in an injury-ruined tournament last year.
Amanda-Jade Wellington is the most likely option to replace Wareham if selectors decide they need a legspinner in their squads with 25-year-old Alana King the other main contender.
