Upset that he will not be able to play for Lancashire this summer: says Shreyas Ayer
Indian white-ball specialist Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of Lancashire’s upcoming Royal London Cup campaign, meaning his long-awaited return to competitive cricket has been postponed. Ayer suffered a shoulder injury during the ODI series against England, and then underwent surgery.
As a result of this, he was also ruled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 which was since suspended with an eye on the Covid-19 situation and will now be completed in UAE. Iyer started hitting the nets recently but it is understood that he is far from being ready for the July 22-August 18 tournament.
“Following discussions between the Club and the BCCI, as well as the players’ representatives, it was agreed that Iyer would remain in India ahead of his return to cricket in due course,” the Lancashire County said in a statement.
“I am gutted to not be able to play for Lancashire this summer, a Club that has such history and ambition. I hope to play at Emirates Old Trafford for Lancashire at some point in the future,” Iyer said.
Lancashire’s Director of Cricket, Paul Allott said: “We are obviously very disappointed, as we were thoroughly looking forward to welcoming Shreyas to Emirates Old Trafford.”
“Ultimately Shreyas’ long-term fitness is of paramount importance and Lancashire Cricket fully respects the decision.
“We wish Shreyas all the best with the remainder of his recovery, and from the conversations which I have had with the player, believe that this is an arrangement he would be keen to revisit again in the future,” former England pacer Allott said.
