Warner to leave BPL early and return to Australia

Sylhet Sixers captain David Warner is set to leave the Sylhet franchise and return to Australia to be medically assessed after reporting an elbow pain while playing in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Cricket Australia website broke the news and also added that Warner will be playing two more matches before he leaves for Australia. That effectively means that Warner will exit after the Sylhet leg ends following matches on January 18 and 19 with Sylhet facing off against Dhaka Dynamites and Rangpur Riders respectively on those dates.

Warner follows Steve Smith in leaving the T20 tournament early with an elbow issue. Smith, who was playing for the Comilla Victorians had earlier left for Australia after reporting of elbow pain before he went under the doctor's knife and underwent surgery.

The 12-month bans Smith and Warner are serving for their involvement in the Cape Town ball-tampering incident expire on March 28. Cricket Australia reported that it is around that time when Australia will face Pakistan in the last series before the World Cup.

Warner had started to hit form in the BPL as he picked up his second fifty in the tournament yesterday while playing Mashrafe Bin Mortaza's Rangpur outfit.

Cricket website ESPNCricinfo quoted a CA spokesperson as saying that Warner will return home on January 21. "David has reported some pain in his right elbow. He will return to Australia on January 21 to be assessed, but is expected to play in the remaining BPL matches until his return. We will have a clearer understanding of the extent of the injury once he has been assessed," the CA spokesperson was quoted as saying

An official statement is yet to arrive from Sylhet Sixers but a spokesperson said that the Sixers were aware of Warner's injury and are in touch with CA to find out if their skipper will be available for the rest of the BPL.