Injury blow for Boyd Rankin

Apr 25 2008 By Brian Halford

A BLEAK day for Warwickshire yesterday became bleaker with the news that fast bowler Boyd Rankin could miss the whole season due to a shoulder injury.

Rankin consulted a specialist yesterday and was told he has a slap lesion on a shoulder muscle.

The 23-year-old will require surgery and be ruled out of cricket for between three and six months.

Rankin sustained the injury last week when diving to make a stop as a substitute fielder during the Bears' champion-ship game with Worcestershire at Edgbaston.

The latest blow adds to the player's unfortunate history of injuries.

The former Middlesex and Derbyshire player was just returning to fitness following a foot stress fracture suffered last winter.

With Naqaash Tahir suffering from shin splints the Bears are, as usual, two pace options down, although Jimmy Anyon has recovered from an arm injury and is in the squad for Sunday's Friends Provident Trophy tussle with Northamptonshire.

Nick James comes into the squad for that game but Navdeep Poonia has a thigh injury and misses out.