Due to injury concerns, Australia’s three players—Mitchell Owen, Lance Morris, and Matt Short—will not play in the last Twenty20 International in the forthcoming ODI series against South Africa. The two countries will face off in the third and final match of the T20I series, which is now tied at one, in Cairns on Saturday before proceeding to the three ODIs.
During the second Twenty20 International in Darwin, Owen was struck on the helmet grille by Kagiso Rabada’s delivery, resulting in a concussion. After being disqualified, Owen reported delayed symptoms even though he had earlier passed an on-field concussion assessment. He will miss the rest of the series due to a 12-day stand-down period required by Cricket Australia’s concussion guidelines. His eagerly anticipated ODI debut is also postponed.
In the meantime, fast bowler Lance Morris, who was targeting international comeback was hit with lower back pain. He has returned to Perth where he will be assessed further and his availability in Australia A tour to India is being discussed.
In addition, Matt Short is still getting well after suffering a side strain during the trip of the West Indies. His recuperation has taken longer than anticipated, and he is now aiming for a return in the domestic season after initially being scheduled to return for this series.
Aaron Hardie and Matt Kuhnemann have been kept in the team to fill in for the injured players. The ODIs will begin in Cairns on August 19 and continue in Mackay on August 22 and 24. Short is replaced by Hardie, who is already a member of the T20I team, and Kuhnemann will provide Adam Zampa with a left-arm spin option. While Alex Carey returned to the T20I team for the first time since 2021, Josh Inglis, who missed the second T20I owing to flu-like symptoms, is still in the squad.
Australia’s updated ODI squad:
Mitchell Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Adam Zampa
