Quetta Gladiators’ batter Faf du Plessis has been ruled out of the remainder of the Pakistan Super League (PSL 2021). He will be flying back to South Africa on Wednesday night which comes as a massive shock to the Gladiators camp led by Sarfaraz Ahmed.
Du Plessis had suffered a concussion during the match against Peshawar Zalmi on Sunday when he collided with his team-mate Mohammad Hasnain while fielding. The incident took place in the seventh over the first innings. David Miller came down the track, didn’t quite get to the pitch of the ball, but still drilled it back past the non-striker.
Faf du Plessis moved across swiftly across from long-on as Miller drove, had the ball in his hands but then smashed his head against the knee of the fielder running across from long-off – as both went at full throttle. He lay prone on the ground for a few minutes while the Gladiators physio attended to him, but he eventually got on his feet to walk back into his team’s dugout.
He was immediately rushed to the hospital for additional care and youngster Saim Ayub came in as a concussion substitute. Although Faf du Plessis recovered from the injury but stated that he has had some memory loss.
Thank you everyone for all the messages of support. I'm back at the hotel recovering. Have concussion with some memory loss but I will be fine. Hopefully be back on the field soon. Much love. ❤️
— Faf Du Plessis (@faf1307) June 13, 2021
In the five games he played this season, du Plessis scored 76 runs in four innings at an average of 19 and a strike rate of 122.58. This was his second stint in the PSL after he turned out for the Zalmi last season.
Quetta Gladiators placed last in the points table
In the Gladiators’ earlier game, against Islamabad United, Andre Russell, too, had sustained a concussion after being hit on the helmet by a Mohammad Musa bouncer. Russell hasn’t played a game since then.
Quetta Gladiators are currently at the bottom of the table with four points from eight games. Their next game is against the Multan Sultans on Wednesday.
