Kolkata Knight Riders have replaced injured South African paceman Anrich Nortje with Australian speedster Matt Kelly, an IPL statement said on Thursday. Kelly, a 24-year-old from Western Australia, has played 16 first-class matches, five List A games and 12 T20s and will be making his first appearance in the IPL.
Born in Durban, South Africa Kelly moved to Perth when he was four years old. The fast bowler earned a Western Warriors rookie deal for the 2016-17 season but success came the following summer when he debuted for WA in the JLT One Day Cup, taking a wicket in his first game, and then claiming 4-25 in the next game against Queensland. Kelly continued his dominance over the Bulls taking five wickets against Queensland in the 2017-18 Sheffield Shield.
Kelly has caught the eye of former Australian selector Mark Waugh and he believes the youngster should be picked for the Australian World Cup team should any of Australia’s front-line seamers fail to recover from injury.
“I’d have Mitchell Starc in there. Josh Hazlewood, I probably wouldn’t have him in the squad. I’ve got Jhye Richardson in if he’s fit. If he’s not fit I’ve got one bolter from Western Australia, Matt Kelly, who no one’s spoken about,” Waugh said on a Sky Sports show recently.
