Colombo, February 13 In a major setback for Zimbabwe, veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Brendan Taylor has been ruled out of the ongoing T20 World Cup due to the injury he sustained in a group match earlier this week.
The 40-year-old Taylor had limped off the field after retiring hurt in the match against Oman, which they had won by eight wickets on February 9. The exact nature of his injury is not yet clear.
"Brendan Taylor sustained an injury, and he has been ruled out of the competition," captain Sikandar Raza said at the toss before Zimbabwe's match against Australia on Friday.
Taylor was struggling while running between the wickets and was promptly taken off (retired hurt) after scoring 31 off 30 balls during Zimbabwe's chase against Oman.
Raza later said that he did not want to aggravate the problem, considering Taylor's importance to the team.
Taylor has played 36 Tests, 207 ODIs, and 59 T20Is since making his Zimbabwe debut in 2004. He had also retired hurt in his previous T20 innings last month. This is the third time he retired hurt in his last five T20 innings.
Pacer Richard Ngarava also sat out of Friday's Australia match as a precautionary measure.
"Richard Ngarava is being rested as a precautionary measure. His initial scans and second scans have come back pretty positive. So he is also missing today," Raza said at the toss.