World Cup 2019: List of players ruled out of the tournament due to injury

As we are moving further towards the end of group stage of World Cup 2019, the teams are putting their best foot forward to secure a place in the semi-finals. With the World Cup being the tournament that counts, teams had started to build a strong squad a long time before the start of the tournament.

Unfortunately, the teams have been forced to make changes to their final squads due to injuries. While some players were ruled out even before the tournament had commenced, some players suffered injuries during the tournament and are set to miss the tournament. These unforeseen issues have certainly disturbed the balance of a lot of teams and they will be forced to rethink about their strategies.

Here is the list of players who have been ruled out of the tournament due to injuries so far.

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#5 Anrich Nortje

Anrich Nortje

After an impressive debut series against Sri Lanka, where he picked up 8 wickets in 4 ODIs, Anrich Nortje was named in South Africa's World Cup squad. He was even picked by Kolkata Knight Riders at the IPL auction. However, Nortje was ruled out of the IPL and eventually of the World Cup due to a fractured hand.

Fortunately for the Proteas, Nortje's replacement, Chris Morris, has fared reasonably well so far.

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#4 Jhye Richardson

Jhye Richardson

Jhye Richardson is another unlucky fast bowler who was hard done by injury and was left out of the squad. Richardson's shoulder was dislocated in the series against Pakistan preceeding World Cup. Richardson had been in good form since the home series against India and was almost certain to be a starter in Australia's playing XI. Kane Richardson replaced Jhye in the final 15.

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#3 Mohammad Shahzad

Mohammad Shahzad

Afghanistan's dashing wicket-keeper batsman, Mohammad Shahzad was ruled out of World Cup 2019, after the first two matches of the tournament due to a knee injury. However, Shahzad later declared himself completely fit and alleged Afghanistan Cricket Board of conspiring against him.

#2 Dale Steyn

Dale Steyn

Dale Steyn's dream of playing in World Cup 2019 was shattered when he was ruled out of the tournament due to his enduring shoulder injury. The South African quick had looked in good shape leading into the World Cup and was considered to be a big part of the team's World Cup plans.

Just a month before the marquee event, Steyn joined RCB in the IPL. Steyn's IPL stint with RCB was cut short due to the shoulder injury that eventually cost him his place in the World Cup squad.

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#1 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan's ODI form was a little dodgy coming into the World Cup. But considering his experience and marvelous record in ICC tournaments, Dhawan was set to play a huge role in India's quest for the title.

After a quite game against South Africa, the southpaw showed his class by hitting a glorious innings against Australia. But during the course of the innings, Dhawan hurt his thumb and did not take the field later on. Dhawan's fractured thumb kept him out of the game against Pakistan and eventually ended his World Cup journey.