Sydney Sixers will be without rising fast bowler Caoimhe Bray for the remainder of the Women’s Big Bash League after scans confirmed the return of a stress fracture in her back.
The 16-year-old, already contracted to New South Wales, has been withdrawn from Thursday’s Challenger against Perth Scorchers at North Sydney Oval and is not expected to play again this summer.
For Bray, the diagnosis is painfully familiar. A similar problem curtailed the end of her 2024-25 campaign, and medical staff have advised a lengthy rehabilitation. The setback almost certainly rules her out of domestic cricket until next spring and places further strain on her ambition to juggle elite cricket with football.
Bray’s trajectory to date has been swift. She kept goal for the Young Matildas in 2024, debuted for the Sixers a few months later and, in November, became the youngest player to claim a hat-trick in any leading women’s T20 league when she dismantled Sydney Thunder. The dual-sport narrative has drawn inevitable comparisons with Ellyse Perry, though Bray has tried to temper expectations.
“I have to commit myself to cricket for the summer part of the season, and when winter comes around, that’s when soccer comes back,” she said last month. “So many people are asking the question: ‘will you still be playing soccer or still be playing cricket’. People have their own opinions, like ‘go into cricket, surely’.”
She added with a shrug, “If you don’t know the future, neither do I. I don’t know what it will be like in a few years. But I am going to try and stick to [doing both] as much as I can.”
Fast bowlers of Bray’s pace frequently encounter back stress injuries; the repetitive action places considerable load on the lower spine. Sixers coach Charlotte Edwards described the medical advice as “straightforward but frustrating”, noting that “patience now should give Caoimhe a long career later”. State selectors share that view and will monitor her workloads carefully once she returns to bowling.
In the shorter term, Sixers must rejig their attack for the knockout clash with Perth. The winners will meet Hobart Hurricanes in Saturday’s final at Bellerive Oval. With no like-for-like replacement available, all-rounder Maitlan Brown is expected to take on additional overs, while spinner Linsey Smith may be recalled if conditions suit.
Bray’s absence is a blow, yet the mood inside the Sixers camp remains philosophical. Injuries, as ever, are part of fast bowling; safeguarding the teenager’s long-term prospects now takes priority.
