Tim David's hamstring injury a huge blow for Australia's T20 WC plans

Australia's T20 World Cup preparations hit a snag as star batter Tim David sustained a hamstring injury in a BBL match. Despite the injury, he played a match-winning knock, but his participation in the upcoming tournament remains uncertain.

Australia faces injury woes ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next year as their heavy-hitting middle-order star Tim David sustained a hamstring injury during his side, Hobart Hurricanes' Big Bash League (BBL) match against Perth Scorchers on Friday.

Tim sustained the injury while batting, but managed to score a match-winning 28-ball 42, which helped his side chase down 151 runs and get their third win of the season.

Tim David's value to Australia

With the tournament starting on February 7, the 2021 world champions will need to submit their squad at the start of next month and are likely to include Tim, with the hope that he can recover in time. Tim has featured for the Aussies during the 2022 and 2024 T20 World Cup editions and scored a superb 74 against India in Hobart last month to underline his value in the middle-order to the side.

Stellar form in 2024

If he is not able to make it to the squad and injury turns out to be serious, it would be a massive dent to Australia's chances of sealing their second title as he is in sensational form this year, having scored 1,231 runs in 56 T20Is at an average of 39.70 and a strike rate of 172.89,.with a century and seven fifties to his name. He played a crucial role in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title win as a finisher, scoring 187 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 185.14, averaging 62.33 and scored a tough half-century against runners-up Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a rain-hit group stage clash, displaying his maturity as a T20I bat.

This year, he has been promoted up the order, batting at number four and five numerous times for Australia, scoring 395 runs in 10 innings at an average of 49.37 and a strike rate of over 197, including a century and three half-centuries, with all these fifty-plus scores coming at number four and five.

Teammate hopeful of timely recovery

Australia and Hobart teammate Nathan Ellis is optimistic that Tim will be able to recover in time. "As a mate, first and foremost, I'm shattered he potentially might miss a few games for the Hurricanes," Ellis said as quoted by ICC.

"But I am hopeful that we will do all the right things and hopefully, potentially, get him right for the backend of the tournament ... and beyond with the Australian colours in the (T20) World Cup. He is a huge figure in the Australian cricket team, there is no secret there. "He has been batting four and dominating, so fingers crossed it is not too bad, and we get him a few games in purple (Hurricanes colours) before then," he concluded.

Australia's T20 World Cup schedule

Australia are drawn in Group B for the T20 World Cup and are scheduled to play Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Oman in the opening round. They will start off their campaign against Ireland on February 11 at Colombo. (ANI)

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