Back injury ends Australian spinner Matt Kuhnemann's county stint with Durham

"Durham Cricket can confirm that Australian overseas spinner Matt Kuhnemann has been ruled out of the remainder of his playing stint with the Club," said a statement from the club.

Kuhnemann left the field with back stiffness against Glamorgan last week and further scans have found Kuhnemann has picked up a significant injury that requires an extended period of rehabilitation. Matt will return home to Australia to begin rehabilitation with Queensland Cricket.

Director of Cricket, Marcus North said: "We are all extremely disappointed for Matt who in just a short time with the club has made a great impact on and off the field. We wish Matt well in his recovery."

Earlier in March, Durham County Cricket Club announced that it had signed Australian spinner Matt Kuhnemann for the 2023 season.

"Durham Cricket is thrilled to announce the signing of Australian slow-left arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann for the 2023 season," said a statement from the club.

The 26-year-old recently made his Test debut for the national side, taking 9 wickets with a best of 5/16 during Australia's series against India.

He opened the bowling on his Test debut and picked up two wickets including that of Virat Kohli lbw for 44.

Kuhnemann who was born in Brisbane plays his domestic red-ball cricket at Queensland and has 56 first-class wickets to his name, which includes his career-best 5/16.

Since making his first-class debut in 2021, he has made 12 appearances for Queensland claiming 33 wickets with a best of 5/25 and bagging 3 five-wicket hauls.

He is also part of the Brisbane Heat side in the Big Bash League (BBL) where he has 27 wickets to his name in the shorter format of the game.

Kuhnemann's arrival in Durham came as a replacement for Todd Murphy. The club had initially engaged the right-arm off-break bowler for the 2023 County Championship season, however, he was unavailable for the first block of County Championship matches. (ANI)