Faf du Plessis has been ruled out of this year's men's Hundred after failing to recover adequately from the concussion he suffered at the PSL two months ago. Dane Vilas will stay on as his replacement.
Initially withdrawn from Northern Superchargers' opening three games as he continued his recovery, du Plessis has been unable to play any part in the tournament and will now return to South Africa.
On Friday, he posted on Instagram that he was heading home as he had not recovered as quickly as he expected, and that he planned to travel to the CPL T20, which starts on August 26, after a few days at home. du Plessis, who was not selected in South Africa's T20I side to tour Sri Lanka, also said he hoped to return for next year's edition of the Hundred.
"I'm really so grateful for all the support through this difficult injury and feel like I'm very close to playing again," du Plessis said.
The Superchargers said in a statement: "Faf du Plessis will return to South Africa to continue his rehab from the concussion he suffered at the PSL earlier this year. Dane Vilas will continue as his replacement at Northern Superchargers for the remainder of the competition."
du Plessis suffered the initial concussion when his head collided with his Quetta Gladiators team-mate Mohammad Hasnain's knee during a fixture against Peshawar Zalmi in Abu Dhabi in June. The injury ruled him out of the remainder of the tournament and he returned to South Africa shortly after, and then travelled to Croatia to quarantine ahead of the Hundred.
du Plessis was originally scheduled to captain the Superchargers, but Ben Stokes assumed that role before taking a break from all cricket and David Willey has since led the side.
Vilas was recruited as a replacement pending du Plessis' planned return. Vilas, a £125,000 signing for Manchester Originals in the competition's initial draft in October 2019, lost his deal following the end of his status as a Kolpak player.
On Thursday, he shared a 90-run partnership off just 36 balls with John Simpson - who struck a stunning 71 off 28 - as the Superchargers posted the highest total of the Hundred so far in beating the Originals.
In other Hundred movements, Mohammad Nabi is returning home for personal reasons and will be replaced in the London Spirit men's squad by David Wiese for the final two matches. Somerset's Sonny Baker will replace Luke Wood at Trent Rockets after Wood was ruled out of the remainder of the competition because of an injury. Baker has joined the squad and was available for selection in Friday's game against Birmingham Phoenix.
Valkerie Baynes is a general editor at ESPNcricinfo
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