Cricket

Rashid Khan's heroic performance, despite battling a hamstring injury, propelled Afghanistan to a historic series victory over South Africa. The leg-spinner's remarkable figures of 9-1-19-5 dismantled the Proteas' batting lineup, securing a 177-run triumph in Sharjah.Khan's determination to stay on the field stemmed from his belief that his contribution was crucial to Afghanistan's success. Despite a month-long hamstring issue, he pushed through the pain, knowing that his presence could make a significant difference."I had a hamstring injury, but I tried my best to stay on the ground till the end," Khan said. "I knew my contribution would be key, so I had to go for it."Khan's injury woes have been a recurring theme lately. He missed the final week of the Hundred due to hamstring trouble and suffered a back niggle during Afghanistan's domestic T20 league. He also missed the one-off Test against New Zealand.On his 26th birthday, Khan's hamstring flared up again while batting. However, he refused to be sidelined, continuing to bat and eventually finishing with six not out off 12 deliveries."The love for this game is just pushing you to play," Khan said. "I thought I was able to bowl and stay in the field, so why not go for it?"Afghanistan's victory was marred by another injury concern, with half-centurion Rahmat Shah leaving the field with hamstring trouble. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi expressed optimism that Shah's injury was not serious."I talked with him, he's good inshallah," Shahidi said. "Hopefully he will be okay and play the other game."Afghanistan have clinched the series 2-0 but have one more match to play in Sharjah on Sunday. They will then have a break before their scheduled tour of Zimbabwe in December-January.

Nathan Ellis's hopes of cementing his place in Australia's T20I side have been dashed by a hamstring injury sustained during the Hundred. The setback rules him out of the remaining Scotland series and the subsequent eight white-ball games in England.Ellis had targeted the Scotland series as an opportunity to lead Australia's attack in the absence of rested pacemen Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, and injured Josh Hazlewood. However, Cricket Australia confirmed on Friday that Ellis's hamstring tendon injury had not healed sufficiently for him to be considered for selection.The timing of the injury is particularly frustrating for Ellis, who has played 17 T20Is but has often found his opportunities limited by the presence of the "big three" quicks. Riley Meredith, who made his first international appearance since 2021 in Australia's thrashing of Scotland in the first T20I, will remain with the squad as cover.Hazlewood has joined the squad in England ahead of Wednesday's first T20I at the Utilita Bowl, having recovered from a minor calf strain. Ellis was also expected to feature in the five-match ODI series against England, which starts on September 19, but a replacement is yet to be named.Meredith could potentially be released to play for Somerset on T20 Blast Finals Day on Saturday, but the club's captain Lewis Gregory has indicated that they do not expect him to be available. Somerset do not have any players in England's T20I squad, so they will otherwise have their full squad at their disposal.Ellis's injury is a blow to Australia's T20I ambitions, as he has proven to be a valuable asset with his ability to bowl at high speeds and generate swing. His absence will put pressure on the remaining bowlers to step up and perform consistently.

Ben Stokes, England's talismanic all-rounder, is on the mend and on track to make a full recovery from his hamstring injury in time for the upcoming Test series against Pakistan in October. Stokes sustained the injury while playing for Northern Superchargers in the Hundred two-and-a-half weeks ago, ruling him out for the remainder of the English summer.Despite his absence, Stokes has remained with the England squad during their ongoing series against Sri Lanka, batting in the nets at Lord's ahead of Thursday's second Test. England are scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on October 2, with the first Test set to commence five days later in Multan.A return to full fitness for Stokes would be a significant boost to England's chances in Pakistan, where they triumphed 3-0 in their most recent tour in 2022. During that series, Stokes bowled only 35 overs due to a chronic knee injury.Stokes expressed his eagerness to return to action, describing it as "scratching an itch." He emphasized his gradual progress in rehab and his belief that being surrounded by the medical team would expedite his recovery.England's stand-in captain, Ollie Pope, praised Stokes's dedication and believes he will be "as fresh as anyone" heading into the winter tours to Pakistan and New Zealand. Pope highlighted Stokes's ability to improve his game during injury setbacks and his positive impact on the squad.Zak Crawley, who is also missing the Sri Lanka series due to a broken finger, visited Lord's on Tuesday and is targeting a return for the Pakistan tour in October. Mark Wood, another injured player, has been replaced by Olly Stone in England's XI for the second Test at Lord's.Pope expressed his excitement for Stone to showcase his abilities as a high-pace bowler, despite acknowledging that he may not reach Wood's top speeds. Stokes commended Pope's seamless transition into his interim role and enjoyed observing the team's performance from the dressing room in Manchester.

Dillon Pennington's hopes of making his England debut against Sri Lanka have been dealt a blow after the fast bowler was forced to withdraw from the Hundred due to a hamstring injury.Pennington, 25, has been one of the standout performers in the County Championship this season, taking 31 wickets at an average of 23.80 in eight appearances for Nottinghamshire. His impressive form earned him a call-up to England's Test squad for the recent series against West Indies, where he impressed captain Ben Stokes.Stokes had hinted that Pennington could be in line for a debut against Sri Lanka, saying: "There's no doubt that if an opportunity comes to him, then he'll be ready to go."However, Pennington's chances of making his international bow have now been dented after he suffered a hamstring injury in his first competitive appearance for a month. Playing for Northern Superchargers against Oval Invincibles in the Hundred, Pennington bowled just five balls before being forced to leave the field.Superchargers have confirmed that Pennington has withdrawn from the final two weeks of the competition, making him a major doubt for England's first Test against Sri Lanka on August 21 at Emirates Old Trafford.Stokes had praised Pennington's work ethic and progress during his time with the England squad. "He's done everything that you'd expect someone in a squad to do - even if they're not playing," Stokes said. "He's got a naturally high release point, and I think his move to Notts has been very, very good for him."England are expected to name their squad for the Sri Lanka Tests imminently, with Zak Crawley considered a major doubt after breaking his finger in the third Test against West Indies. If Crawley is unavailable, Dan Lawrence is expected to deputise as Duckett's opening partner.

Wanindu Hasaranga Ruled Out of ODI Series Against India with Hamstring InjurySri Lanka's all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga has been ruled out of the remaining two matches of the three-match ODI series against India due to a hamstring injury. The injury occurred during the first ODI, which ended in a thrilling tie.Hasaranga sustained the injury while bowling the final ball of his 10th over. He was seen clutching his left hamstring in discomfort and was unable to continue bowling. An MRI scan later confirmed the injury.The loss of Hasaranga is a significant blow to Sri Lanka's bowling attack. He is one of the team's most experienced and reliable bowlers, and his absence will be felt.To fill the void left by Hasaranga, Jeffrey Vandersay has been called up to the Sri Lankan squad. Vandersay, 34, has played 22 ODIs for Sri Lanka, with his last appearance coming in January this year against Zimbabwe.The second ODI between Sri Lanka and India will be played on Sunday at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The third and final ODI will be played at the same venue on August 7.

Australia's T20 World Cup campaign will begin without the bowling services of skipper Mitchell Marsh, who is still recovering from a hamstring injury. Head coach Andrew McDonald confirmed that Marsh will play solely as a batter in their opening match against Oman on June 6.Marsh has participated in Australia's two warm-up games against Namibia and the West Indies, but he has not bowled in either match. Matthew Wade has taken over captaincy duties in Marsh's absence."For Mitch, (the warm-up games) was about ticking off where his body was at," McDonald said. "He fielded more overs tonight (in the warm-up against West Indies), he was able to move more freely, so he's building a little bit of confidence there. It looks as though he's all set for the first game."Marsh played only four matches for Delhi Capitals in the IPL due to a hamstring niggle. He returned to Australia in late April to continue his rehabilitation."The second part is just when the bowling comes back online... it won't be the first game," McDonald said.Australia's warm-up match against the West Indies exposed the absence of several key players, including Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron Green, and Travis Head."It was by design, in terms of when we were getting people back after the IPL; we were well aware we weren't going to get the squad together until the first of next month," McDonald said."We've got some things in place where we'll bring the group together, we'll work through our plans leading into Oman and there's a bit of space between that game and (playing) England."Australia will face defending champions England in Barbados on June 9."We feel as though we have plenty of time to bring that group together. It's a familiar group, they've played a lot together. If they hadn't played a lot together then the prep might have looked different," McDonald added."We feel comfortable though as they know how to play with each other. It will just be finalising the XIs for the games, and the balances that we want. We've got plenty of options."

Chennai Super Kings' Death-Bowling Woes Mount as Matheesha Pathirana Returns Home with Hamstring InjuryChennai Super Kings have been dealt a major blow with the news that their death-bowling specialist, Matheesha Pathirana, has returned to Sri Lanka to recover from a hamstring injury. The Sri Lankan pacer has been a key cog in CSK's bowling attack, and his absence will be a significant setback for the team.Pathirana missed CSK's home fixture against Punjab Kings in Chennai and was also ruled out of the reverse fixture in Dharamsala on Sunday. His absence further depletes CSK's bowling resources, which were already stretched thin due to the absence of Deepak Chahar, their powerplay specialist.Chahar, who has been struggling with a quadriceps injury, did not travel to Dharamsala and is awaiting the results of his scan reports in Chennai. His absence has left CSK without two of their most experienced and reliable bowlers.Pathirana, who made his IPL debut for CSK in 2024, has played only six games for the franchise, but he has made a significant impact with his ability to bowl at high speeds and generate swing. In those six games, he has taken 13 wickets with an impressive economy rate of 7.68.His absence will put additional pressure on CSK's other bowlers, including Mukesh Choudhary, Simarjeet Singh, and Dwayne Bravo. The team will need to find a way to compensate for the loss of Pathirana's death-bowling prowess if they want to maintain their position in the top four of the IPL standings.

Rajasthan Royals' Dhruv Jurel Suffers Hamstring Injury in IPL 2024 MatchRajasthan Royals batsman Dhruv Jurel sustained a suspected hamstring injury during the team's Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday.The incident occurred in the ninth over of the match when Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Travis Head hit a shot off leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal towards deep mid-wicket. Jurel, positioned near the boundary, sprinted to stop the ball but ended up straining his hamstring.Jurel immediately appeared to be in pain and was taken off the field for medical attention. The extent of his injury is yet to be determined, but it could be a significant blow to the Rajasthan Royals, who are currently in contention for a playoff spot.The injury to Jurel overshadowed a strong performance by the Sunrisers Hyderabad batting lineup. Nitish Reddy and Travis Head both scored half-centuries to help their team post a formidable total of 201 for three.Head, who was dropped on 1 by Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson, made the most of his reprieve, smashing 58 runs off 44 balls. Reddy, meanwhile, remained unbeaten on 76 off 42 balls, including six fours and four sixes.The Rajasthan Royals bowlers struggled to contain the Sunrisers Hyderabad batsmen, with only Kuldeep Sen and Yuzvendra Chahal managing to pick up wickets.The injury to Jurel will be a concern for the Rajasthan Royals, who are already without several key players due to injuries. The team will be hoping that Jurel's injury is not serious and that he can return to action soon.

Mitchell Marsh Ruled Out of IPL 2024 for Delhi CapitalsDelhi Capitals all-rounder Mitchell Marsh will not return to India for the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season due to an ongoing right hamstring injury. The news was confirmed by head coach Ricky Ponting in New Delhi on Monday.Marsh, who is expected to captain Australia at the upcoming T20 World Cup, flew back to Perth on April 12 to consult with Cricket Australia's (CA) medical staff. A decision on his return to the IPL was initially delayed to allow him ample time to recover.However, Ponting revealed that Marsh's recovery has taken longer than anticipated. "I don't think he'll be coming back," Ponting said. "There's a certain cut-off point with replacement players. Cricket Australia were keen to have him at home to start his recovery process, and we sent him back as soon as we could."Marsh played only four matches for Delhi this season, scoring 61 runs in three innings and taking one wicket in eight overs. His absence is a significant blow to the Capitals, who are currently eighth in the points table with three wins and five losses.This is the second consecutive season that Delhi has lost Marsh's services midway through the IPL. In 2023, the all-rounder played just nine games for the franchise after being signed for a hefty INR 6.5 crore.Despite Marsh's absence, the Capitals remain in contention for the playoffs with six games remaining. They will need to improve their form and secure some crucial victories to qualify for the knockout stages.