ZCZC
BSP-06
CRICKET-AUS-IND,SQUAD
Starc out of India tour with ‘substantial’ muscle tear
SYDNEY, Feb 7, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Pace spearhead Mitchell Starc was on
Thursday ruled out of Australia’s Twenty20 and one-day tour of India with a
“substantial” muscle tear, joining fellow quick bowler Josh Hazlewood on the
sidelines.
Australia play two T20s and five ODIs against the Indians from later
this month as part of an important build-up to their World Cup title defence
in England this year.
But they will be doing so with a depleted attack.
Starc, man-of-the-match after collecting 10 wickets in the second Test
against Sri Lanka in Canberra this week, will miss the series.
Hazlewood remains sidelined as he recovers from a back injury picked up
in Australia’s Test series loss to India.
“Unfortunately, scans have revealed that Mitchell Starc sustained a
substantial tear to his left pec muscle while bowling on the final day of the
Test match in Canberra,” said national selector Trevor Hohns.
“This means he will be unavailable for the tour of India, but we will
instead target a return to play for the ODI series against Pakistan in the
UAE in March.”
Eleven of the 14 players that took on Virat Kohli’s men in a recent one-
day series loss in Australia have been retained.
But veteran seamer Peter Siddle, fast bowler Billy Stanlake and
allrounder Marsh were dropped, which has opened the door for pacemen Kane
Richardson and Nathan Coulter-Nile, and hard-hitting batsman Ashton Turner.
“Kane has been in outstanding form over the summer, including his recent
performances in the Big Bash League,” said Hohns.
“Kane not only has experience playing ODI cricket for Australia, but
he’s also performed well for his country when given the opportunity.
“Nathan Coulter-Nile provides us with another quality bowling option,”
he added.
“He brings good energy in the field and can also score runs in high-
pressure situations.”
Hohns added that Western Australia’s Turner had been on his radar for
some time and he now “has an opportunity to put his case forward ahead of the
World Cup”.
With Hazlewood out, Pat Cummins was named co-vice captain alongside Alex
Carey. Aaron Finch remains skipper.
Opener D’Arcy Short was included as cover for Shaun Marsh as he recovers
from a hamstring injury. Short is expected to play in the two T20s with Marsh
joining the squad following the birth of his second child.
“With the World Cup on the horizon, we see the ODI tours of India and
the following tour against Pakistan as important windows for the squad to
continue their preparations for our title defence,” said Hohns.
“We were really pleased with the progress we made during the recent ODI
series against India, and we feel the progress is reflected in the squad
selection, with only a couple of changes.”
The squad for the Pakistan series, that immediately follows India, will
be named later with the possibility that Steve Smith and David Warner may be
considered for the latter part once their bans for ball-tampering expire on
March 29.
Aaron Finch (capt), Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Glenn
Maxwell, Ashton Turner, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Nathan
Coulter-Nile, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan
Lyon, Adam Zampa, D’Arcy Short
BSS/AFP/BZC/1150HRS