County Championship 2022: Quad muscle injury cuts Umesh Yadav's return to Middlesex

Senior India pacer Umesh Yadav’s return to Middlesex for the County Championship 2022 has been cut short due to a quad muscle injury. The extent of the injury is such that Yadav would be taking no further part in the competition.

Middlesex are scheduled to play their final two red-ball games of the ongoing season in the next two weeks against Leicestershire and Worcestershire respectively. These games are important for Middlesex as they strive hard to push for promotion to the top flight of the Championship structure.

The news of Umesh’s unavailability for the remainder of the season was officially confirmed by Middlesex on their official Twitter handle.

How did Umesh Yadav sustain the injury?

Umesh Yadav sustained this injury while playing Middlesex's final home fixture of this season's Royal London Cup against Gloucestershire and it forced the Vidarbha cricketer to leave the field and apart from that, Yadav was also ruled out from Middlesex's final away group game against Sussex in Hove. 

After he suffered an injury, Umesh wasted no time as he flew back to India instantly for an assessment with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) medical team. The speedster was all set to return to London for next week's Leicester fixture, but Middlesex received an update from the medical team that Yadav has not regained complete fitness.

"We are naturally disappointed that Umesh will not be returning to the Club for the final two matches of the season. However, throughout his recovery process, we have been in close contact with the BCCI's medical team, and completely agree with their assessment that a precautionary approach to his return to action is sensible," Middlesex's Head of Men's Performance Cricket, Alan Coleman, said.

"Umesh fit in brilliantly with the squad when he joined us earlier this year and played with great passion and commitment throughout his time with us. He gave one hundred percent at all times and completely bought into everything we are trying to achieve as a squad.

"The quality and experience he brought to the unit were clear to see, and the younger players in our squad will have benefitted from having such a high-quality international player alongside them.

"We wish him well for his recovery, thank him for all he did for Middlesex when he was with us, and have certainly not ruled out the possibility of Umesh returning to Middlesex again at some point in the future," he added.