South African opening batsman Loots Bosman will miss the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup after he was ruled out with a back injury on Tuesday.
Bosman injured his back when he dived into the boundary boards during a one-dayer against Zimbabwe last month.
A statement released by Cricket South Africa (CSA) said Bosman needed six weeks’ rest to recover from an ”injury to the lumbar spine”.
”It is with deep regret that we had to take this course,” Norman Arendse, the CSA president, was quoted as saying.
”But we have to look at the bigger picture, particularly as it affects his long-term career.
”Neurological injuries can take on career-threatening proportions and, had Loots got hurt again in the tournament, he could have been put out of action for far longer than the six weeks’ rest recommended by our team of medical specialists.”
A replacement has yet to be named. The tournament in South Africa begins next Tuesday. — Reuters