Zimbabwe’s Brendan Taylor ruled out of T20 World Cup 2026
Taylor sustained the injury during Zimbabwe’s tournament opener against Oman
COLOMBO: Veteran Zimbabwe wicketkeeper-batter Brendan Taylor has been ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka due to a hamstring injury.
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza confirmed at the toss ahead of Friday’s game against Australia at the R. Premadasa Stadium.
Top-order batter Ben Curran has been named as his replacement
The 40-year-old sustained the injury during Zimbabwe’s tournament opener against Oman, forcing him to retire hurt on 31 off 30 balls. He had earlier contributed behind the stumps with three catches.
In Taylor’s absence, Tadiwanashe Marumani will don the gloves against Australia, while all-rounder Tony Munyonga has been included in the playing XI.
Taylor’s fitness had been in doubt ahead of the Australia clash, with the team management initially hoping to field him if possible. However, the decision was made to rest him to allow full recovery for the remaining fixtures.
Taylor returned to international cricket in July 2025 after serving a three-and-a-half-year ban for breaching the ICC’s anti-corruption code.
Following the end of his suspension on 25 July, he featured in Zimbabwe’s second Test against New Zealand in August.
Since his comeback, he has played two Tests, two ODIs, and 14 T20Is, scoring 282 runs, including a memorable 123 against Botswana in a T20 World Cup qualifier in September 2025.
Zimbabwe squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Sikandar Raza (c), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Graeme Cremer, Bradley Evans, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava and Brendan Taylor.
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