Usman Khawaja ruled out of World Cup with hamstring injury
Monday, 8 July 2019 (11:35 IST)
London:Australian batsman Usman Khawaja was ruled out of the remainder of the World Cup with a hamstring injury, Coach Justin Langer confirmed on Sunday.
Khawaja will be out of action for at least three to four weeks, forcing him to miss semifinal clash against England in Birmingham on Thursday. He will be replaced by Matthew Wade in the 15-man squad, after the approval from the ICC Event Technical Committee.
"Ussie's got a hamstring strain so he'll be out for probably three to four weeks which is a real shame but we have to work hard on getting him up for the Ashes now. Such a pity for him, he's been so integral to how we've been playing. Like Shaun, I feel sad for him that he's going to miss the World Cup semi-final", Langer said.
Khawaja got injured in Saturday's match against South Africa at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Meanwhile, a final decision on Stoinis, who picked up a side strain in the same game,will be taken in 24-48 hours. Mitch Marsh was called up as a cover for Stoinis.
"Marcus is the same, got another strain in his other side actually so we are working through that at the moment and we'll have to make a decision on him in the next 24 to 48 hours'', said Langer.
"Not in the final XI yet but Matthew Wade is coming up. He's in great form, he's had a great 12 or so months back home but he's also just scored two hundreds in one-day cricket so he's in great nick. And Mitch Marsh is going to come on standby for Stoinis to see how he comes up'', Langer added.
Earlier in the tournament, Shaun Marsh was also ruled out of the World Cup after suffering a fractured arm, with Peter Handscomb replacing him in the squad.(UNI)
