West Indies' T20 World Cup campaign has suffered a major setback with the loss of opening batter Brandon King to a side strain. King sustained the injury during the team's Super Eight loss to England on June 19 and has been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament.
King's absence is a significant blow to the West Indies, as he has been their leading run-scorer in T20Is since the start of 2023. He has amassed 651 runs in 23 innings, including four fifties. King was also the highest run-scorer in the team's 3-0 T20I series sweep over South Africa heading into the tournament.
In King's place, left-hand opening batter Kyle Mayers has been called up to the squad. Mayers has played 37 T20Is and was considered unfortunate to miss the initial cut for the World Cup. He has had a decent 2024, scoring 367 runs in 11 T20 games at a strike rate of 155.50. Mayers is expected to join the squad on Saturday.
King's injury occurred during the third over of West Indies' chase against England. He smashed a 101-metre six off Reece Topley but injured himself while attempting to charge down the track to hit Sam Curran through cover. King received treatment from the medical staff but was unable to continue and retired hurt on 23.
West Indies went on to lose the match by eight wickets, and King did not field in the run-chase. He traveled to Barbados for the team's Super Eight fixture against USA on Friday, awaiting the results of his MRI scans. However, the scans revealed the extent of his injury, ruling him out of the tournament.
The West Indies have won four out of four games in the group stage but started the Super Eight with a loss to England. After their USA fixture on Friday, they will play South Africa on Sunday in North Sound, Antigua.
Tags: #BrandonKing, #WestIndies, #T20WorldCup, #Injury, #KyleMayers
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