Australia’s injury list just keeps getting longer. After losing Mitchell Marsh earlier in the tournament (for first two games), the 2021 champions suffered another scare when Marcus Stoinis walked off the field clutching his left hand during their T20 World Cup clash against Zimbabwe at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
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Stoinis, one of Australia’s most reliable all-rounders, had taken the new ball and struck early by removing Tadiwanashe Marumani after he made an impressive 35. But his evening was cut short in the 16th over. Trying to break a growing partnership between Ryan Burl and Brian Bennett, Stoinis bowled a full delivery that was smashed straight back at him.
The ball struck him flush above the metacarpals of his left hand. He immediately called for the physio and left the field before completing his over, with Cameron Green stepping in to bowl the final delivery. Despite being a muscular individual, he must be feeling the pain of the ball hitting his bone.
Zimbabwe’s Brendon Taylor out of T20 World Cup
Zimbabwe have suffered a setback of their own, with veteran batter Brendan Taylor ruled out of the remainder of the T20 World Cup due to a hamstring injury. The 40-year-old picked up the issue during Zimbabwe’s opening match against Oman and has not recovered in time to continue in the tournament.
Taylor had looked in decent touch before the injury. After taking three catches in the field, he was batting on 31 off 30 balls when he pulled up with discomfort in his right hamstring and had to retire hurt. Initial hopes within the camp were that it was a minor strain, but medical assessment later confirmed that he would not be fit to take any further part in the competition.
The ICC’s Event Technical Committee has approved Ben Curran as his replacement. Curran, 29, is yet to feature in a T20I for Zimbabwe but brings international experience, having played eight Tests and eight ODIs. Across formats, he has struck two centuries and three fifties. In domestic and franchise T20 cricket, the left-hander has scored 872 runs at a strike rate of just over 126, including seven half-centuries.
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