England batsman Jason Roy has pulled out of the 13th edition of the Indian T20 League after sustaining a left side strain, which has also forced him out of England's upcoming T20I series against Pakistan.
The 30-year-old injured himself during the preparation leading to the series at Emirates Old Trafford and had to undergo a scan to check the intensity of it. Despite the injury though Roy is set to stay with the England squad in order to continue his rehabilitation programme ahead of the limited-overs series against Australia, which begins in September at The Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
"Unfortunately he tweaked his side two days ago now and will be ruled out for the three games in order to give him time to prepare for both series against Australia," said captain Eoin Morgan, hoping that the batsman will recover on time.
"At the moment we don't anticipate it being anything serious but we want to give him every chance to be fit for Australia, both series, the T20s and 50-over," Morgan added.
"We will see how he progresses over the next three or four days and be able to report back then."
Roy's absence means the place is now open for the likes of Yorkshire's Dawid Malan or Somerset's Tom Banton. Morgan, however, said that the replacement "won't be disclosed until tomorrow at the toss."
Meanwhile, this comes as a major blow for his Indian T20 League team, Delhi, who have reportedly roped in Australian fast bowler Daniel Sams as a replacement. Sams, playing in his maiden Indian T20 League campaign, was one of the top performers of the 2019/20 season of the Big Bash League, where he picked 30 wickets for Sydney Thunder. His exploits also earned him a place in the Australian squad for the England series.
Delhi, coached by Australian legend Ricky Ponting, have had to deal with several issues of late. Recently, England's Chris Woakes also pulled out of the tournament due to family reasons, and the team had to call in Anrich Nortje as his replacement. The all-rounder, however, later admitted that he regrets pulling out, saying that he took the decision as his wife is expecting another baby by September and he need to stay home as she was not well.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Adrian Dennis
