Matt Kuhnemann unlikely for Sri Lanka Test tour after injuring thumb in BBL game

A thumb injury has cast doubt on left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann ability to play for Australia in their forthcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, which has caused a setback for the Test team. The injury may have prevented Kuhnemann from travelling to Sri Lanka after he was summoned for the tour while playing for the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League (BBL) on Thursday night.

When Kuhnemann was fielding a straight drive off his own bowling from Matthew Wade of the Hobart Hurricanes during a game, the incident occurred. The anguish was evident as Kuhnemann had to leave the pitch in the middle of an over after hurting his right thumb, which is not used for bowling. Marnus Labuschagne, a member of the Australian Test team and the Heat, discussed the same thing.

It’s quite unfortunate that I recently learnt about Matt Kuhnemann.

It doesn’t look very good, thumb. I’m sympathetic to him. He is someone I know well, and his bowling has improved so much that he is likely among the first players selected in Sri Lanka. cited Labuschagne as saying, “I’m really gutted.”

Even though Kuhnemann’s injury happened a few days before the Australian team was scheduled to leave for a pre-Test training camp in Dubai, it is still unknown what caused it. Alternative spinners could be able to fill his void, and the squad might have to think about late replacements for the tour.

Meanwhile, after a solid showing during Australia’s 2023 tour of India, the spinner was anticipated to be included in the squad. In the subcontinental conditions, he was efficient in those matches, taking nine wickets, including five in the second Test at Indore.

The Australian squad may, however, resort to other spinners in their repertoire given Kuhnemann’s possible absence. Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy, both right-arm off-spinners, are already in the team, and youthful all-rounder Cooper Connolly, a slow left-arm orthodox bowler, might be called up as a surprise debutant. Interim skipper Steven Smith holds Connolly in high regard even though he hasn’t taken any first-class wickets.

In addition, a number of uncapped spinners are in the mix, including as Mitchell Swepson of Queensland, Tanveer Sangha of New South Wales, and Corey Rocchiccioli of West Australia, all of whom might be considered if Kuhnemann is ruled out.

After playing little for Queensland’s Sheffield Shield squad, Kuhnemann relocated to Tasmania for the current campaign and has been playing quite well. He is the competition’s top spinner in terms of wicket-taking, having taken 18 in just six games.

Because there are two or three players out there in the subcontinent after you hit a nice sweep, you need a variety of alternatives because you can’t pinpoint just one thing. So you trust your game, your defence, and your sweep, and you combine all of it,” Labuschagne continued.