All-Rounder Kyle Mayers Replaces Injured Brandon King in West Indies Squad

All-rounder Kyle Mayers has replaced injured Brandon King, who suffered a side strain in the match against England, in the West Indies squad for the T20 World Cup 2024.

Dubai (UAE):The International Cricket Council (ICC) approved Kyle Mayers as the replacement for the injured West Indies opener Brandon King in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.

King, who was in an exceptional form, was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament after he sustained a side strain during their Super 8 clash against England on June 20.

"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.

The all-rounder Mayers will feature for the co-hosts and is expected to join the squad on Saturday.

King was striking nicely in the powerplay, smashing 23 runs off 12 deliveries and started to lay the foundation for a 200-plus total for the Caribbean side against England. Facing his 13th ball of the innings, the right-hand batter came shimmies down the pitch to hit Sam Curran through the cover region, but in order to returning to the crease, he suffered a side strain injury in the process.

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.

West Indies went unbeaten in the group stage, but their streak ended after England inflicted a defeat in the first game of Super 8.