Perth Scorchers suffered a huge blow as they will miss their captain Ashton Turner for the rest of the BBL 2023-24 (BBL 13) season after he suffered a knee injury.
Turner limped off the field after bowling one delivery against Hobart Hurricanes on Wednesday, but initially, the prognosis had sounded reasonably hopeful. Turner has been dealing with a knee injury all season and did not play in Western Australia's final two Sheffield Shield games before the BBL break.
He underwent surgery on Friday morning to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee and won't feature again in this BBL campaign. It's understood that surgery had always been on the cards but Scorchers had hoped to get him through the competition.
"The incident saw him leave the field and take no further part in the match, with subsequent scans revealing surgery was required. An exact timeframe for Turner's return will be determined in due course,” a Scorchers statement said.
Josh Inglis is the official vice-captain of the side, but Scorchers also have the option of naming Aaron Hardie as captain, given that he shared leadership duties against Hurricanes after Turner went off.
Turner secured an IPL 2024 deal worth INR 1 Cr with Lucknow Super Giants, who will be coached by Justin Langer, in the auction on Tuesday.
Turner also posted an update after surgery on his Instagram handle saying: “Thanks everyone for thgoodll wishes. The dream team @tomhill_doc @drrossradic were amazing to get the surgery organised at such short notice.
Injuries are always frustrating but they’re also a great reminder for me to acknowledge how lucky I am to play cricket for a living and that it’s not something I’ll ever take for granted. I’m also very fortunate to be part of 2 amazing cricket teams @waca_cricket @scorchersbbl who I’m excited to watch from a different perspective and who I am confident will experience more on-field success. Looking forward to rehab and preparing for IPL @lucknowsupergiants.”
