Brisbane, Jan 23 (IANS) Australia spinner Matthew Kuhnemann has recovered from his right thumb injury after undergoing surgery and is now feeling no pain in bowling and batting, boosting his hopes to fly to Sri Lanka for the upcoming two-Test series.
The left-arm orthodox spinner suffered a compound dislocation and fracture on the thumb during Brisbane Heat’s five-wicket loss to Hobart Hurricanes last Thursday. The injury put his participation in the Sri Lanka tour in uncertainty despite being a key part of Australia’s plans.
Kuhnemann, 28, was rushed to the hospital by his Heat teammate Daniel Drew after suffering a dislocated thumb. The injury was treated that night, with the dislocation put back, followed by surgery the next morning to insert a pin into the fracture.
Despite the setback, Kuhnemann has made a swift recovery. After bowling eight overs at Allan Border Field in Brisbane on Thursday, he expressed optimism about joining Australia’s squad in Sri Lanka. He also batted during the session, facing throwdowns from Heat and Queensland bowling coach Andy Bichel, took catches, and trained under the supervision of team physio Adam Smith.
Kuhnemann stated he feels good but will need clearance from Australia’s medical staff, who are in Dubai for a pre-tour training camp. A conference call on Thursday evening will determine whether he can fly to Sri Lanka in the coming days.
“Nothing’s official yet. I think it was more about just ticking off the boxes each day this week, and so far it’s gone to plan. I’m hoping so, but nothing’s come out yet. I’ll probably speak to the medical team this afternoon. My bowling, batting and fielding has gone excellent so far. So I’ll just relay that message. There’s a bit of a time zone difference and hopefully, I can get on the plane over there,” Kuhnemann said.
“I’m feeling really good, really grateful with how it sort of progressed in the last week. It’s healed really well, and the surgery went excellent. Very fortunate and lucky so far that I’m sort of in a position to be able to bowl and bat and catch a few balls. Everything’s gone to plan so far. There’s not much pain at all any more, and no pain bowling and batting.”
To protect his injured right thumb, Kuhnemann now wears a custom plastic splint, which he can use during games since it’s on his non-bowling hand. Having previously broken the same thumb, he remains confident that the splint will shield him from further damage, even if a ball is hit back at him with force.
“This is a conversation I had with the surgeons and doctors and it’s really stable now. It’s probably more stable than it was beforehand. I’ve broken that thumb before and now I’ve got surgery on it, it’s probably in a better state,” Kuhnemann said.
“I’ve played cricket with splints on and I’m very confident, it doesn’t affect my bowling or batting and fielding. If anything, I’m probably more confident in the field, because you’ve got something on your finger.”
He said he would have no fear if a ball came at him in the field. “No, not at all,” Kuhnemann said. “That’s cricket in general. Balls have been hit back at me a lot harder, and I’ve been fine. So this is one of those freak incidents that it’s hit probably the exact spot it had to for it to cause some damage. I’ve already caught some balls. Andy Bichel’s already thrown some balls back at me straight away, so there’s no problem with that.”
–IANS
ab/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
