Zimbabwe suffered a major setback in the ongoing global tournament as veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Brendan Taylor was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury sustained earlier in the week. The veteran campaigner limped out of the group stage match against Oman on February 9 when Zimbabwe won by eight wickets, but he will now no longer feature due to concerns over his fitness.Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!team leader Sikandar Raza The development of the toss was confirmed ahead of the game against Australia and it was revealed that the 40-year-old will no longer feature in the game. “Brendan Taylor was injured and he was ruled out of the game,” Raza said at the time of the pitch.
Against Oman, Taylor struggled to get runs between the wickets and was eventually forced to retire after scoring 31 runs off 30 balls in the chase. The exact nature of the injury has not been disclosed, but given his importance to the team, team management has chosen not to risk further injury.Taylor’s absence has left a huge void in Zimbabwe’s batting order and leadership. The veteran has been a cornerstone of the team across formats since making his debut in 2004, playing 36 Tests, 207 ODIs and 59 T20Is. His recent injury withdrawals – including three in the last five T20 innings – have raised fitness concerns, making the latest setback particularly painful for the team.Zimbabwe forward Richard Ngarava is also not part of the Australia squad and Raza clarified that despite the positive scan, the left-armer was only resting as a precaution. With key players missing, Zimbabwe now face a challenging path as they try to maintain momentum and remain competitive against stronger opponents.
