Injury status of players set to play T20 World Cup 2024

As the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 slowly comes to an end, the focus will soon shift to the impending T20 World Cup 2024.
 By Darpan Jain May 30, 2024, 20:03 IST
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In this section, we figure out wounded players and track their progress ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.

As the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 slowly comes to an end, the focus will soon shift to the impending T20 World Cup 2024. It will be a global tournament, with as many as 20 teams participating in the event.

While the carnival will see the best players of each team taking part, the injury concerns in a few sides have left the management perturbed. Most of the major nations are sweating over the fitness of their key players weeks before the start.

In this section, we figure out wounded players and track their progress ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.

Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)

The premium pacer of South Africa, Kagiso Rabada, injured himself during the ongoing edition of IPL while featuring for Punjab Kings (PBKS). Rabada returned home two days before PBKS’ penultimate game in IPL 2024 due to a lower limb short tissue infection, as directed by Cricket South Africa (CSA).

After landing in his country, Rabada consulted with a specialist to recover before the T20 World Cup. However, his preparation for the tournament won’t be affected, as posted by the official handle of CSA.

“Kagiso Rabada has returned home from the IPL due to a lower limb soft tissue infection. The 28-year-old consulted a specialist on arrival in South Africa [on Sunday evening] and is being closely monitored by the CSA medical team. His preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup in West Indies and the USA is not expected to be affected.”

Liam Livingstone (England)

Another Punjab Kings’ player who returned home midway through the tournament, Liam Livingstone suffered a knee injury during the game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Lucknow. After missing a couple of games, Livingstone returned to the XI.

While the injury is not severe, his knee requires some rest, tempting him to leave early. Livingstone will be fit to play in the T20 World Cup 2024 and might also feature in the four-match T20I series against Pakistan before the world event.

Devon Conway (New Zealand)

Devon Conway injured his thumb during a T20I against Australia in March and had to undergo surgery, ruling him out for at least eight months. Gary Stead, head coach of New Zealand, stated he is recovering well and will be assessed by the medical team once he returns from India.

"[He] is tracking nicely. He's been wicketkeeping and batting in the nets on a regular basis."

Devon is on the road to recovery and should be fit by the T20 World Cup 2024. He missed the whole IPL season and might be rusty in the initial phases of the cup.

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Finn Allen (New Zealand)

Devon Conway’s partner, Finn Allen, is also out of action for a while after sustaining a back injury in February earlier this year. He missed the T20I series against Pakistan last month and is working hard to get fit.

Gary Stead revealed Allen is experiencing some pain, but the team is planning to increase the intensity of his training sessions in Mount Maunganui. There has yet to be a concrete report on whether he will be fit.

“Finn Allen’s in the nets here behind us at the moment. So he’s tracking along nicely. He’s still got a little bit of pain in his back, but our plan this week is to progress them up and put more intensity through his training each day.”

Mitchell Marsh (Australia)

Australian captain Mitchell Marsh is always prone to injury and was ruled out of IPL 2024 due to a hamstring tear. Initially, a few reports revealed Marsh’s progress was slower than expected.

However, he slowly recovered and batted in the first camp at Allan Border Field after some improvement in his hamstring. Australian head coach Andre McDonald confirmed Marsh will bowl and should be fine to play as an all-rounder in the T20 World Cup 2024.

McDonald also removed doubts regarding Marsh’s match fitness because Australia will have practice games before their first encounter against Oman. Cricket Australia (CA) called him back from IPL to let the medical team assess his condition, and Marsh is on track to lead Australia.

Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka)

Wanindu Hasaranga is another player missing IPL 2024 due to chronic heel pain in his left foot. Hasaranga flew to Dubai to consult a specialist, who advised him to rest in order to be fit for the T20 World Cup 2024.

While no official confirmation has been provided, Wanindu Hasaranga should be fit to play since he has been named the captain of Sri Lanka’s squad. Hasaranga’s injury was never too severe, and his withdrawal from IPL must have been precautionary.

Taskin Ahmed (Bangladesh)

Taskin Ahmed suffered a side strain during the fourth T20I against Zimbabwe earlier this week and was ruled out of the fifth T20I. Bangladesh named him in the T20 World Cup 2024 squad, making him their vice-captain despite being injured.

Bangladesh Chief Selector Gazi Ashraf stated the medical team feels Taskin will be fit before the start of the tournament. It is uncertain whether he will be fit to feature in Bangladesh’s opening encounter but will travel with the team.

Haris Rauf (Pakistan)

While Pakistan are yet to name their T20 World Cup 2024, Haris Rauf will likely find a spot in the squad. However, Rauf hasn’t played competitive cricket for a while after dislocating his shoulder during a catch in PSL 2024.

Haris is part of the four-match T20I series against England, but the medical staff will assess him before slotting him in the XI. The latest update on him is that Haris responded well to the treatment and is bowling in rhythm in the nets, meaning he might be part of the T20 World Cup squad.

Matheesha Pathirana (Sri Lanka)

Matheesha Pathirana sustained a hamstring injury against Bangladesh in Sylhet and missed the opening encounter of IPL 2024 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Later, he featured for Chennai Super Kings in six matches, but the hamstring issue resurfaced, keeping him out of action.

Consequently, Pathirana returned to Sri Lanka to recover in time before the T20 World Cup 2024. He has been named in Sri Lanka’s squad, which suggests he might have recovered completely, even though there are no solid updates on his progress.

Dilshan Madushanka (Sri Lanka)

Another Sri Lankan pacer who has been out of action is Dilshan Madushanka, who picked up a left hamstring injury during the Bangladesh series. Initially, the reports suggested he would take part in the second half of IPL, but his injury was severe enough to rule him out of IPL 2024.

Madushanka is also part of Sri Lanka’s World Cup squad, but it’s not confirmed whether he will be fit to play the first game. However, Madushanka had ample time to recover since he missed the whole IPL season.

Jofra Archer (England)

Jofra Archer’s stress fracture kept him out for more than a year, but he was named in England’s T20 World Cup squad. He made a return to competitive cricket while featuring for Sussex’s second XI earlier this week.

He bowled in a decent rhythm, generating pace and bounce off the track, and might play in the four-match T20I series against Pakistan next week. If Archer doesn’t feel any discomfort in the series, he will start for England in the T20 World Cup 2024, which would bolster the chances of defending champions.

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