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Sunrisers Hyderabad have roped in Sherfane Rutherford as a replacement for England wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow for the remainder of IPL 2021. Bairstow had got off to a good start in the first half of the competition and had accumulated 248 runs in 7 matches. He was part of the Test series against India but did not have a great outing as he managed 184 runs in 7 innings.
After it was initially reported earlier on Saturday that Bairstow might have pulled out of the tournament in UAE, the franchise confirmed the news on Twitter and took no time to announce his replacement as well in form of the explosive Caribbean.
Can Rutherford be the answer to SRH's problems?
Sherfane Rutherford will provide some required balance to the SRH side who did not have a great first half of the season. The West Indies all-rounder is a very handy player with both bat and ball. The 23-year-old also has the experience of playing in IPL as he had played 7 matches for Mumbai Indians in 2019 where he had scored 73 runs and scalped 1 wicket.
SRH have a very inexperienced middle-order where Rutherford can certainly provide some solidity. With players like Kane Williamson, David Warner, Jason Roy and Manish Pandey available to bat in the top order, the franchise were looking for someone to give them more depth down the order and Rutherford could be the answer to those questions.
The left-handed batsman has been quite impressive in the ongoing season of CPL 2021 so far. He has amassed 202 runs in 7 matches at a scintillating average of 40.40. With the experience of playing so many T20 matches across the globe, there is no doubt that it's an exciting signing for SRH who would be hoping to script a comeback in second half of season in UAE.
English players backing out because of hectic schedule
As per reports in the British media, a few England players are opting out of the tournament keeping in mind the Three Lions' hectic schedule ahead. The players, including Bairstow, will have a full-fledged T20 World Cup post the IPL which will be followed by Ashes. This has prompted Bairstow and others to opt out of the tournament before a highly-packed calendar. Prior to this, Punjab Kings had already announced Aiden Markram as replacement for another England star Dawid Malan.
