Bracken And Hopes To Return To Australia

Bracken And Hopes To Return To Australia

Nathan Bracken (left) will return to Australia.

©REUTERS/Nikhil Monteiro (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES SPORT CRICKET) Picture Supplied by Action Images

Nathan Bracken and James Hopes are to return to Australia after the tour of the United Arab Emirates concludes with both men suffering from knee injuries.

Australian team doctor Trefor James has decided that both would be best served by returning home and resting ahead of a busy schedule in England.

"James Hopes and Nathan Bracken have existing knee problems and while these injuries are not of a severity that rules them out of tonight's Twenty20 clash against Pakistan, it has been decided that a period of rest and rehabilitation over the next two to three weeks will be the best preparation for both players ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 in the United Kingdom.

"With the amount of cricket the one-day international players have played since early January this year and given the Australian team's schedule for the next 12 months, it is important we continue to manage player workloads and injury concerns."

The pair will therefore play no part in the closing stages of the Indian Premier League, the Kings XI Punjab having to do without hopes and the Royal Challengers Bangalore making do without Bracken.

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