Hastings to undergo right knee surgery

Melbourne [Australia], Dec. 15 (ANI): Australian fast bowler John Hastings will undergo knee surgery to treat his patella tendon injury he had suffered during a Sheffield Shield game last week. The 31-year-old sustained "significant" damage to the patella tendon of his right leg while bowling in the second innings of the game. Consequently, he was forced to walk off the field after delivering only 3.1 overs and could not bat on the final day. Reflecting on his injury, Cricket Australia physio Alex Kountouris insisted that although there is no estimated timeframe for Hastings' recovery yet, he is likely to be sidelined for a long time before getting fit to play again. "Scans have revealed that John has a significant patella tendon injury and, after being reviewed by a specialist, it was decided that he will require surgery. We expect that John will require a long rehabilitation period after surgery, and we will have a better understanding of his return to play timeframes in the coming weeks," ESPNcricinfo quoted Hasting as saying. The injury also saw him rule out of the upcoming Big Bash League (BBL).He will be replaced by left-arm fast bowler Jackson Coleman in the Melbourne Stars squad. Hastings has been a regular part of the Australian limited-overs squad in 2016 until he was dropped for the unsuccessful Chappell-Hadlee series against New Zealand despite being the overall leading wicket-taker in the format in 2016 with 29 wickets from 15 games at 24.13.(ANI)