Cricket Cranes top order batsman Lloyd Paternott is out of the Uganda’s Tour to Qatar and India.
The United Kingdom-based Ugandan cricketer dislocated his right knee while going for a big slog on the last ball of the on-going Tour to Qatar opening Twenty20 match at the Asian Cricket Stadium on Thursday (February 8) night.
With 13 runs needed off one ball for Uganda to defeat the Qatar President’s XI, only divine intervention could have gifted Uganda victory as it was mathematically impossible.
And fate befell Paternott as he wildly swung at the last ball. There was no connection from his willow as the ball landed on his pads and he unfortunately badly twisted his knee as he landed on the turf awkwardly – hence the knee-cap moving in the process and leaving him in inexplicable pain.
“I have injured this same knee before,” the 26-year-old astute batsman told this website after his impressive shift that yielded his first runs for Uganda - 16 runs off 22 balls. He was out for a duck during his only knock during the Easter Cricket Series against Kenya last year at Lugogo – a couple of weeks to the listless International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cricket League (WCL) Division III campaign. The injury was a double blow as the umpire also signaled that Paternott was out Leg Before Wicket (LBW) on the last ball of the match.
“The doctors say I will be out for a month. But I still have three more tests to determine if I will need an operation. I am gutted. I was looking forward to these two tours so that I pay back the faith that Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) and the coaches have kept in me. Hopefully I will be back soon.”
Initial reports from doctors at the State of the Art Hamad Medical Corporation Facility indicate that Paternott will be out for a month and it will be baby steps for him as he learns to walk again. If all goes according to schedule, Paternott is expected to resume light-training in mid-March under a special rehabilitation programme.
The Cricket Cranes are scheduled to play ICC WCL Division IV and looks like that April 28 – May 5 showpiece in Malaysia will come a little too early for his return.
PATERNOTT AT A GLANCE
Full name: Lloyd Christopher Paternott
Born: January 15, 1992, Watford, Hertfordshire
Nationality: Ugandan
Current age: 26 years
Major teams: Uganda, Marylebone Cricket Club Universities,Oxford MCCU
Playing role: Opening batsman
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm medium
Height: 6 ft 0 in