Cricket Australia has pulled left-arm seamer Ben Dwarshuis out of moving to Worcestershire for the second half of the English T20 Blast. The team’s goal is to ease the burden on their 31-year-old superstar. Now, as he prepares for another Indian Premier League (IPL) stint, he has to juggle with Australia’s packed international calendar.
Dwarshuis has represented Australia at the T20 level in 13 matches, and 6 ODIs. This summer, he was supposed to be starting his third season with England at New Road. The mighty Cricket Australia took a brave call to focus on his long-term fitness. They weighed up the forthcoming white-ball tours of Pakistan and Bangladesh this June. The global organization made a point to clarify that Dwarshuis’s unavailability is not related to any injury issues.
Worcestershire’s chief executive, Ashley Giles, expressed disappointment over Dwarshuis’s withdrawal and acknowledged the importance of managing player workloads.
“While we’re naturally disappointed that Ben won’t be joining us this summer, we completely understand and respect Cricket Australia’s decision to prioritize his long-term workload management,” – Ashley Giles
Worcestershire has begun the process of finding their new overseas player for the T20 Blast. They’ll have to find a new path forward without Dwarshuis’ significant policy-making input. His class and quality as left-arm seamer would surely have made a hefty difference for the team.
Dwarshuis is currently preparing for the IPL. He is now picked up by Punjab Kings for the next season! So his play in MLS should be one to watch, as he attempts to push off the success he’s experiencing at the international level.
Giles praised Dwarshuis for his work ethic and commitment, which propelled him to opportunities at the top level.
“Ben has worked incredibly hard to earn his opportunities at the highest level and we congratulate him on securing his IPL deal.” – Ashley Giles
The cricketing community is all abuzz leading up to the T20 World Cup that kicks off next month in Sri Lanka and India. The former absence of Dwarshuis from the provisional squad now casts his future with the national team in doubt.
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