The International Cricket Council (ICC) approved Kyle Mayers as the replacement for West Indies opener Brandon King in the ongoing T20 World Cup. King was ruled out of the remainder of the competition after he sustained a side strain during their clash against England in the Super 8. “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. The replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the player can be officially added to the squad,” ICC said in a statement.
For the rest of the tournament, the left-handed opener will feature for the co-hosts. He is expected to join the squad on Saturday.
During the game against England on Wednesday, King was flying high in the powerplay. He raced 23 in just 12 deliveries and started to lay the foundation for a 200-plus total for the West Indies.
He smoked the ball out of the stadium with a 101-metre six off Reece Topley, resulting in a replacement ball.
But he got injured in the 13th delivery of his knock. He charged down the pitch to hit Sam Curran through the cover region.
King went one more step before collapsing and being forced to quit injured after receiving care from a West Indies medical staff member.
King did not field in England’s run chase of 181, with Shimron Hetmyer filling in as a substitute fielder, and Cricket West Indies released a statement to confirm he suffered a side strain.
West Indies went on to lose the game, with Jonny Bairstow and Philip Salt propelling the Three Lions to a thumping 8-wicket win.
King getting ruled out of the tournament has put a big dent in West Indies’ chances of lifting the coveted title.
He has been the leading run-scorer for the Caribbean side in T20Is since the beginning of 2023. King has racked up 651 runs in 23 innings, which includes four fifties.
His replacement, Mayers, has enjoyed a decent run in 2024. The left-handed opener has featured in 11 T20I games this year and amassed 367 runs at an impressive strike rate of 155.50.
During the build-up to the World Cup, King was also the highest run-getter in West Indies’ 3-0 T20I series sweep over South Africa.
West Indies went unbeaten in the group stage, but their streak ended after England inflicted a defeat in the first game of Super 8.
They will look to secure a spot in the final four with wins over the USA and South Africa.
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