A back stress fracture has ended Australian pacer Billy Stanlake stint in the ongoing edition of the County championship with Derbyshire. He will now return to his home state Queensland in Australia to undergo rehabilitation.
The injury to Stanlake would be particularly disappointing for Derbyshire as the tall pacer could feature in only one game for the side this season. He bowled 17 overs in Derbyshire’s Championship fixture against Essex and accounted for their openers, Nick Browne and Alastair Cook in the first innings although the side lost the game by an innings and 15 runs.
Derbyshire county said that the search for his replacement has already been started.
"We're hugely disappointed that we won't get to see more of Billy this year. He's been a model professional during his time with us and we wish him all the best in his recovery. Our search for a replacement has already begun and we are hopeful of bringing in another bowler in the not-too-distant future who can contribute in all formats this summer,” Derbyshire's head of cricket, Dave Houghton, said.
Stanlake, 26, has been rated very highly for his raw pace and the ability to extract bounce off the surface. However, progress has been stalled by repetitive injuries in the near past and the latest stress fracture will only complicate the matter for the Queensland man.