Back surgery rules Brendon McCullum out of NatWest T20 blast quaterfinals

McCullum played 6 games for Middlesex in the initial phase of the tournament

Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has been ruled out of Middlesex's T20 Blast quarter-final against Northamptonshire on Tuesday.

McCullum had for played six games for Middlesex during the initial stages of the competition, before heading off for the West Indies to play for the Trinbago Knight Riders. The Dwayne Bravo led Knight Riders lost in the semi-finals which pre-empted McCullum to undergo a back surgery.

The flamboyant opener scored 132 runs at an average of 33 in six appearances for Middlesex during the initial stages of the tournament.

Angus Fraser, Middlesex's director of cricket, was considerate of McCullum's injury situation, and the fact that he has been managing his body with injections and painkillers.

"I have been in regular contact with Brendon when he was at the Caribbean Premier League and was struggling with his back," Fraser said.

"The short nature of a T20 means there is always the temptation to play someone when they have an injury but Brendon felt he could not do himself justice and did not want to risk letting the team down in such an important game. He has been having regular injections and dosing up on painkillers for some time just to get by, which is not particularly good for you. As a club, we have not had a lot of luck with injuries in the past couple of weeks. Seven 1st XI players have been forced to miss cricket or play in discomfort for one reason or another. But we will travel to Northampton on Tuesday with an excited and extremely capable squad", Fraser added.

On the other hand, Paul Stirling, the Ireland batsman has signed a new contract with Middlesex, and will continue to serve the club until the end of the 2019 season.