5 international stars who have picked up serious injuries ahead of the 2023 World Cup ft. Travis Head
Ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup, teams are locked in different series to identify their best possible combinations. While Australia are taking on South Africa, New Zealand are in England. Also, there is the Asia Cup that is going on and these matches are offering teams a great perspective to identify players for the World Cup.
However, these teams have also been hit with a lot of injuries at the most inopportune time. Several key players have been injured and this will surely impact their World Cup preparation.
Here we take a look at five international stars who have picked up serious injuries ahead of the 2023 World Cup:
#5 Tim Southee
Less than three weeks before the start the World Cup in India, Tim Southee picked up an injury when he dropped a catch of England's Joe Root during the final one-day international of the four-match series.
During the match, Joe Root, who was batting on eight runs, nicked a delivery from Ben Lister to Southee at slip. Southee immediately displayed signs of pain and left the field to undergo a scan, ultimately failing to return.
A spokesperson for the New Zealand team stated:
"An X-ray examination has confirmed that Tim Southee dislocated and fractured a bone in his right thumb while attempting to take a catch in the 14th over of the first innings."
#4 Naseem Shah
Naseem Shah was ruled out of Asia Cup 2023 due to a right shoulder injury sustained in the Super Fours match against India. The team's medical panel is closely monitoring Naseem's condition and taking all essential precautions with an eye toward the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023.
"Naseem Shah also... they have a couple of miss matches, I don't know (how long) the recovery, but in my opinion, Naseem Shah also (will be) in the World Cup later on. But let's see," captain Babar Azam said about Naseem in a post-match press conference.
#3 Travis Head
Australia have been hit with a significant setback in preparation for the ODI World Cup. Travis Head, who was being viewed as Australia's opener, suffered a hand injury he sustained during Friday's one-day international against South Africa.
Head was forced to leave the field injured during Australia's 164-run loss to South Africa at Centurion on Friday, following a blow to his hand delivered by Gerald Coetzee.
“It's a confirmed fracture but as to the nature of the break and what sort of timeframe to heal, that will be assessed tomorrow,” said Australia coach Andrew McDonald.
#2 Axar Patel
Axar Patel sustained multiple injuries during India's six-run loss to Bangladesh in a Super Fours match on Friday. India has called upon all-rounder Washington Sundar as a replacement for the injured Axar Patel.
Axar has participated in two matches during the ongoing Asia Cup 2023, both in the Super Fours stage. In the first match against Sri Lanka, he contributed 26 valuable runs with the bat but struggled to make an impact with the ball, bowling five overs without taking any wickets and conceding 29 runs.
However, in the second match against Bangladesh, his performance with the ball improved as he claimed a wicket for 47 runs from nine overs. He was also impressive with the bat, scoring 42 runs.
#1 Maheesh Theekshana
Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana won't be available for the Asia Cup final due to an injury he sustained in their Super Fours match against Pakistan. He suffered the injury while attempting to prevent a ball from reaching the boundary. Despite the discomfort during his run-up, he displayed tremendous determination by completing his spell that night.
Throughout the ongoing tournament, Theekshana has been a standout performer, securing eight wickets from five matches at an average of 29.1. He played a crucial role by taking the new ball for Sri Lanka and consistently making early breakthroughs, particularly on the favorable pitches in Colombo. He will be in a race against time to make it to the World Cup.