Australia could start the Ashes without an injured Beth Mooney and Ellyse Perry as selectors consider leaving the game's biggest name out of the Twenty20 team.
Australia's squad for Thursday's opening match of the multi-format series remains uncertain after Mooney was hit in the chin facing throwdowns from coach Matt Mott on Monday.
The world's top-ranked Twenty20 batter had surgery on Tuesday and will now miss at least the T20 component of the Ashes, and most likely the one-off Test and three ODI matches as well.
Mooney, the WBBL's leading run-scorer, is also in doubt for the one-day World Cup in New Zealand in March, as officials wait on her recovery time.
Her absence comes with Australia already without injured spinners Georgia Wareham and Sophie Molinuex for the Ashes.
"It's very disappointing for her," Mott said.
"It's poor timing. She's had a good break out of the game and was hitting the ball extremely well."
Mooney's unavailability will force a rethink of Australia's batting line-up for Thursday's T20 opener in Adelaide.
One option is for Alyssa Healy to be joined at the top of the order by Rachael Haynes, who missed the most recent ODI series against India.
However, Mott indicated on Tuesday he'd strongly consider keeping Haynes in the middle order, praising her cool head.
Georgia Redmayne and Elyse Villani shape as other options top open the batting.
Perry's selection could also hinge on the decision.
Chief selector Shawn Flegler was non-committal last week when asked about Perry's position in the T20 team.
If Haynes does not open, her return to the middle order would create some squeeze and put Perry's position under threat.
Mott on Tuesday labelled Perry the "greatest player" in the history of the women's game.
But he also all but admitted selectors were weighing up going without her for the T20s.
"Certainly we've had some great discussions with her," Mott said when asked if Perry would play.
"So to even have these conversations is just showing how far the depth within our squad has come.
"We've made a real commitment as a selection group to make those tough decisions.
"Ellyse is definitely still in the mix.
"We look at it at as a real positive, not a negative."
Perry did not play in Australia's game against Australia A on Tuesday after a COVID-19 scare, but will be available for Thursday's Ashes opener if selected.
The 31-year-old has played 126 of Australia's 144 T20s since her debut in 2008, and has long been considered the game's premier allrounder.
But her workload with the ball has dropped since COVID-19 disruptions made a recovery from a 2020 hamstring injury more difficult.
Her 50-over numbers remain excellent, but she has a strike-rate of 103.4 with the bat in the past two years of T20 cricket.
"The balls faced in the middle order is really critical," Mott said.
"It's not necessarily about making picking the best batters sometimes between No.5 and No.7.
"Someone who can score 15 runs off 10 balls is an incredibly valuable asset.
"Ellyse is someone who's actually called for it in our group, for us to be really specific on our teams."
