Sydney Thunder all-rounder Andre Russell has been ruled out of the remainder of the Big Bash League due to an injury, which he suffered during the clash between Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Stars on January 4. He had a long run behind the ball which was racing away to the third man fence and in between, the knee and hamstring pain relapsed and just a few meters ahead of the ropes, Russell’s march to chase the ball was halted and he went wobbling towards the ball which had already crossed the fence.

Reports suggest that the combination of knee and hamstring injury will keep him out of the action for nearly six weeks. It is learned that Andre Russell was set to miss the game but a technical error forced him to participate in the game even with an injury.

He has been replaced by his teammate Carlos Braithwaite, who came into prominence after hitting four back to back sixes to Ben Stokes in the T20 World Cup final in 2016. He will have the same role as of Andre Russell but he will have a tough challenge to fill the shoes of his senior pro.

“Andre has been playing with long-standing tendinitis of the right knee, that flared up in the opening rounds for the BBL,” Murray Ryan, the Sydney Thunder Physiotherapist, said. “This was investigated via MRI following the Perth Scorchers game and several interventions implemented to assist his symptoms and allow him to continue playing.

“Unfortunately Andre’s playing fitness has been compounded further by an injury to his left hamstring – the extent of this injury to be confirmed further via scans in Sydney tomorrow, however, initial signs suggest a minimum 4-6 week recovery.”

Sydney Thunder is the last ranked team in the points table and the win against Melbourne Stars was their first win of the tournament. They are scheduled to face Hobart Hurricanes on January 8 at Bellerive Oval, Hobart.