Mitchell Swepson, who played three Twenty20 matches for Australia against India in December, felt pain in his neck before the Big Bash League; Queensland confirmed in a statement scans revealed a stress fracture in the C6 vertebrae, an uncommon injury for spinners
Australia leg spinner Mitchell Swepson faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining a rare neck fracture, his domestic team Queensland Bulls have said.
Swepson, who played three Twenty20 matches for Australia against India in December, felt pain in his neck before the Big Bash League.
Queensland confirmed in a statement scans revealed a stress fracture in the C6 vertebrae, an uncommon injury for spinners.
Swepson will be ruled out from bowling for six weeks before undergoing tests again to decide his next course of recovery.
“I’m obviously extremely disappointed that I can’t be out there playing for Queensland right now,” said Swepson, who with 23 wickets was the Sheffield Shield’s top wicket-taker in the first phase of the season in Adelaide.
“But I’m trying to remain positive and will be doing everything that I can to get some games in towards the end of the season.”
Swepson was named in the Australian squad to tour South Africa before that tour was postponed earlier this month.
On the injury, Queensland sports science & sports medicine manager Martin Love said: “It is certainly not a common injury with spinners for instance, and so while Australian Cricket has a great deal of information about managing stress fractures in fast bowlers, it is not quite as clear cut in Mitch’s case.
“We will work closely with Mitch and Cricket Australia to manage his recovery.
“We are encouraged by the successful returns of many bowlers who have had to deal with back stress fractures during their careers so hopefully this case proves relatively straight forward.”
