The left-arm spinner sustained the injury during the pre-match warm-ups and looked to be in considerable pain. She required assistance to walk off the field and back up to the home changing room.
The 24-year-old was later pictured in a sling on the team balcony before being taken to hospital to assess the damage. She was replaced in the XI by Amara Carr, with Ellie Threlkeld taking on captaincy duties for the Originals, who were already out of the running for the final three.
The ECB are expected to offer an update on Ecclestone’s injury in the coming days. While the hope is that the issue is nothing too severe, it will not immediately unsettle England Women’s preparation for the upcoming three T20Is and three ODIs with Sri Lanka. Head coach Jon Lewis opted to rest Ecclestone for the limited-overs matches to manage her workloads after the first eight months of the year.
Ecclestone’s stellar performances this summer helped England to an 8-8 draw in the women’s Ashes. She took 5 for 129 and 5 for 63 in the one-off Test before taking 10 wickets split evenly across the ODI and T20I components of the series. Her Hundred season finishes with seven dismissals at 13, and an economy rate of 6.50.
There will also be interest in Ecclestone’s diagnosis further afield after she was announced as one of a number of England players entering the inaugural WBBL draft, which takes place on September 3. Her 20 wickets at 17.90 were a key factor in Sydney Sixers’ run to the final during the 2022-23 season. As the No.1-ranked bowler in both white-ball formats, she is expected to be in high demand.