• Sportzyverse
• T20 World Cup 2024
• 06/22/2024
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West Indies opening batter Brandon King has been ruled out of the remainder of the T20 World Cup 2024 due to a side strain sustained during West Indies’ Super Eight loss against England on June 19.

In the squad for the rest of the tournament, King will be replaced by left-handed opening batter Kyle Mayers, who is expected to join the team on Saturday.

🚨SQUAD UPDATE🚨
Kyle Mayers has been approved as replacement for King in West Indies squad.

Mayers, was been named as a replacement after King was ruled out due to a side strain.

The CWI family wishes Brandon a speedy recovery.#WIREADY | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/pWdIhaGIjX

— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) June 21, 2024

During the match against England in Gros Islet, King had a strong start, scoring 23 off just 12 balls, including a massive 101-meter six off Reece Topley in the third over. However, on his 13th ball, King injured himself while attempting to charge down the track and hit Sam Curran through cover. After receiving treatment from the medical staff, King was unable to continue and retired hurt on 23, with West Indies ultimately losing by eight wickets.

King did not field during England’s run-chase, with Shimron Hetmyer stepping in for him. He traveled to Barbados for West Indies’ Super Eight fixture against the USA on Friday, awaiting MRI scan results, but was unable to recover in time.

ICC approves Kyle Mayers as injured Brandon King’s replacement

“The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 has approved left-handed batter Kyle Mayers as a replacement for Brandon King in the West Indies squad,” an ICC release read. “Mayers, who has played 37 T20Is, was named as a replacement after King was ruled out due to a side strain. Mayers is expected to join the squad on Saturday.”

King’s absence is going to be a significant blow to West Indies’ squad and their chances to win their third T20 World Cup title. Since, he has been the team’s leading run-scorer in T20Is since the start of 2023, accumulating 651 runs in 23 innings, including four fifties. Moreover, he was the highest run-scorer in their 3-0 T20I series sweep over South Africa right before the tournament.

Also read USA’s Steven Taylor Set to Face Childhood Heroes in Crucial Super 8 Match against West Indies

On the other hand, Mayers, who had a strong 2024, was considered unfortunate to miss the initial squad selection. In 11 T20 games this year, the left-hander scored 367 runs at a strike rate of 155.50 and took nine wickets with his decent medium-pace bowling.

The 2-time champion West Indies had an excellent group stage, winning all four games, but began the Super Eight with a loss against England. Following their match against the USA in Barbados, they will face South Africa on Sunday in North Sound, Antigua.