Ben Curran replaces injured Brendan Taylor for remainder of T20 World Cup

Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Brendan Taylor has been ruled out of the remainder of the T20 World Cup due to a hamstring injury, with Zimbabwe drafting in top-order batter Ben Curran as his replacement.

Captain Sikandar Raza confirmed the development at the toss ahead of Zimbabwe’s clash against Australia in Colombo.

Taylor, 40, sustained the injury during Zimbabwe’s opening match against Oman, where he retired hurt on 31 off 30 balls after earlier taking three catches behind the stumps. Although there had been hope he might recover in time for later fixtures, team management opted against risking him with multiple games still to play.

Curran, who has centuries in both Tests and ODIs, now joins the squad despite having limited exposure in T20 internationals. In 40 domestic T20 innings, he has scored 872 runs at a strike rate of 126.01, with a highest score of 71. His inclusion adds top-order depth as Zimbabwe push for a place in the Super Eight stage.

For the Australia fixture, Tadiwanashe Marumani took over wicketkeeping duties, while allrounder Tony Munyonga came into the playing XI in Taylor’s absence.

Taylor had only recently returned to international cricket in July 2025 after serving a three-and-a-half-year suspension for breaching the ICC’s anti-corruption code. Since his comeback, he featured in two Tests, two ODIs and 14 T20Is, scoring 282 runs, including a century in T20 World Cup qualifying.

His absence is a significant blow, but Zimbabwe will hope Curran can step up at a crucial stage of the tournament.

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