Northamptonshire rocked as Ricardo Vasconcelos ruled out for remainder of 2019 season

The 21-year-old batsman requires surgery on an ankle problem sustained playing football in the warm-up to a game against Derbyshire last week and the South African will therefore miss the rest of the county season

Northamptonshire have been rocked by the news that batsman Ricardo Vasconcelos will be out for the remainder of the 2019 county season with an ankle injury.

The 21-year-old South African had been enjoying a breakthrough year, having scored 750 runs in the Specsavers County Championship – putting him fourth in the division for runs scored.

However, the left-hander requires surgery on the ankle issue sustained after going down in the warm up of the final day's play against Derbyshire last week. and means he will miss the rest of Northants' fixtures for the campaign.

"I'm extremely disappointed to get injured at such a crucial part of the season," Vasconcelos said.

"I think it would be tough no matter what type of season I was having but I do think it makes it a bit harder because on a personal level there’s not that many times you are able to get a 1000 runs in a season and I was on track to do so, so of course it makes it a bit harder to take."

"It was kind of a freak injury really, it could've happened anywhere so there's not much I could've really done about it. Sometimes these things happen and you've just got to suck it up and get on with it."

^{Vasconcelos has been leading the way with the bat for Northants}

Vasconcelos is Northants' leading run scorer in red-ball cricket this season and has been instrumental in seeing the side rise to third in the Division Two table. Despite the setback, Vasconcelos still believes the side has what it takes to secure one of the three promotion places come the end of the season.

“Of course I still think we can go up, there’s enough talent in that dressing room to achieve anything.

"Obviously I would love to be a part of the promotion push, but I’ll be supporting the boys all the way from the sidelines.

"I'm not a great watcher to be honest, but I don’t really think anyone is.

"I'm going to be right behind the lads and will be the first person to congratulate them when they do well because that’s what they’ve done for me throughout the season.

"Everyone here wants everyone to do well and that’s why we are going to be successful as a team."

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