Brendan Taylor rules out of T20 World Cup with hamstring injury

In a major blow for Zimbabwe, Brendan Taylor has been ruled out of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 due to a hamstring injury. The Event Technical Committee of the ICC has approved Ben Curran as replacement for Taylor.

"Following a medical assessment, it was determined that he will not recover in time to take any further part in the competition," stated a release from Zimbabwe Cricket.

Taylor, the only player to feature in both the inaugural edition and the current edition of the T20 World Cup, picked up a right hamstring injury during Zimbabwe's opening game against Oman. After having taken three catches, he was batting on 31 off 30 when the 40-year old injured his hamstring and retired hurt.

Zimbabwe were hoping it would be minor niggle but in a setback for them, the veteran won't be part of their campaign going forward. In Taylor's absence, all-rounder Tony Munyonga was included in the Zimbabwe XI for their match against Australia.

Curran, the 29-year old top order batter, is yet to make his debut for Zimbabwe in the shortest format. He has played eight Tests and eight ODIs, with two hundreds and three fifties across the two formats. In T20 cricket, the left-hander has scored 872 runs at a strike rate of 126.01, with seven fifties.

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