Mohammad Nawaz's injury leaves Sarfaraz Ahmed disheartened

Quetta Gladiators have been dealt a huge blow as their star all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has been ruled out of HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) due to an ankle injury.

The left-arm utility player has remained a key figure for the Gladiators over the years and his presence has been felt in crunch times.

In addition to being able to bowl in all phases of the match, Nawaz has contributed 78 crucial runs with a strike rate of 205 including seven maximums and four boundaries in the current edition of the tournament.

Nawaz took it to Twitter to showcase his grief on leaving his team in the middle of the tournament.

I’m absolutely gutted on leaving my team during @thePSLt20 due to an ankle injury.
Now I’ll be cheering for #PurpleForce from my home @TeamQuetta #GladiatorForever #ShaanePakistan

— Muhammad Nawaz (@mnawaz94) February 11, 2022

This prompted a response from the franchise's captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who has relied on the all-rounder heavily over the years.

Na jaa yar 😢 @mnawaz94 Get well soon https://t.co/tz3Iq5d6gg

— Sarfaraz Ahmed (@SarfarazA_54) February 11, 2022

Quetta Gladiators later got the approval from the Technical Committee and announced left-arm spinner, Hassan Khan, as his like-for-like replacement. Hassan was previously handed his debut by the Gladiators as he was picked up in the Emerging Category.

In addition to this, foreign teammate James Vince also showed his despair whereas the General Manager of Islamabad United also left kind remarks on Nawaz's tweet.

Get well soon brother. You will be missed

— James Vince (@vincey14) February 11, 2022

Always unfortunate when players get injured during a tournament, even if they are not from ur own team. Get well soon @mnawaz94. You were in absolutely fantastic form. May u come back even stronger. https://t.co/XUuPoAJfEL

— Rehan Ulhaq (@Rehan_ulhaq) February 11, 2022

Quetta Gladiators will face off against two-times Champions Islamabad United today in a crunch match as both teams will be looking to register a victory and ensure their qualification for the play-offs.