Worcestershire to miss John Hastings for the remainder of the season

Australian all-rounder John Hastings is set to return from his Worcestershire stint after suffering a bone-stress in one of his feet. The 31-year-old suffered stress in one of the bones in his foot during their County Championship game against Sussex at Worcester. Cricket Australia (CA) have recalled their player for undergoing rehab work leaving Worcestershire to look for an overseas replacement for the remainder of the season.

Hastings represented them in only 6 county championship matches this season due to Australian commitments during the Champions Trophy. He played in eight Royal London One-Day games in which he picked up 11 wickets and stood out as the 2nd highest wicket-taker for Worcestershire. Hastings had a successful NatWest T20 Blast with both bat and the ball as he scored 179 runs at an average of 25.33 and picked up 8 wickets.

He featured as an opener for the first time in Twenty20 cricket during this T20 Blast season as the lanky player scored 134 runs in the 4 games where he opened including a 19-ball fifty. He scored his runs at an impressive strike-rate of 197.05.

The Director of Worcestershire Cricket Steve Rhodes says that they expected Hastings to be fit for the final 2-3 championship games but he had to return due to the upcoming International season. Rhodes has praised Hastings for his services this season and is hopeful to see the Australian all-rounder returning to the County for the next season.

“These things happen, it’s happened before to us with injuries, it’s a thing that is out of our control. Cricket Australia have got International cricket coming up. They want John back in their care and will be hoping to get him fit and available for selection. That is the reason they have pulled him out of our cricket. If we had have got him back fit, it might have been for the last two or three Championship games but sadly he has got to go back,” Steve Rhodes was quoted on Worcestershire’s official website.

“John is a big larger than life character, both in physique but also in stature and respect from the other guys. He gives off confidence to other players and is a very experienced cricketer so all those attributes fulfil his senior role in the dressing room. Players go through peaks and troughs and John has been through that with us,” said the former England wicket-keeper.

“He has had some fine moments with us and some moments where he wishes he could have done a bit better. That’s typical of cricket and we are all human. He is back next year and very much looking forward to that. He has got to get that foot right and with another winter under his belt hopefully John will come back fit and taking wickets and scoring runs again next season.” he added.