Australia have suffered yet another injury blow with star all-rounder, Shane Watson, ruled out of the upcoming series against Pakistan after suffering a calf injury.The all-rounder has been replaced by pace bowler, Ben Hilfenhaus, in the Test squad with fellow all-rounder, Mitchell Marsh, widely tipped to make his Test debut on the tour of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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Watson had missed the Zimbabwe tri-series with a sprained ankle. While he has recovered from that injury, his troublesome calf, which had forced him to miss out on two Tests during the tour of South Africa in February-March this year has returned to keep him away from action.
While Hilfenhaus replaces him in the Test side, his ODI spot has been taken by Kane Richardson. Australia are due to play Pakistan in a full series comprising of one T20I, 3 ODIs and 2 Tests.
"Whilst Shane has made steady progress with his rehabilitation after he stepped on a ball and sprained his ankle, he has suffered a setback, experiencing some right calf soreness," Cricket Australia Physiotherapist, Alex Kountouris, said.
"As Shane has previously had similar calf injuries, we plan to hold back his return to running and bowling for approximately 7-10 days. The unfortunate timing of this calf injury will mean that his preparation for the UAE Tour will be considerably affected and he would have been unavailable for the T20 and ODI part of the tour and significantly limit his bowling preparation for the Test matches," he added.
Watson's injury is another blow for the Australians, who are hoping to dislodge South Africa from the number one Test ranking. Ryan Harris (knee) and James Pattinson (back) have already been ruled out while skipper, Michael Clarke (hamstring) and pacer, Mitchell Johnson (rib), are struggling to prove their fitness before the start of the tour.
Watson was naturally disappointed at having to miss the Pakistan series. "I'm naturally disappointed because I was desperate to play against Pakistan which is our opportunity to get back to number one in Test and one-day international cricket," Watson said.
"Despite my strong desire to be on the tour, I understand why the selectors have made this decision. Given I cant be with the boys, my goal now is to work as hard as I can to get back to 100 per cent fitness so that I can make myself available for selection ahead of our series against South Africa in November.
I've been here before and know what I need to do to get back to full fitness. That means remaining positive and working hard. We have a huge summer of cricket at home and my priority now is to play a big part in that," he added.
Hilfenhaus makes a comeback into the national team after a span of two years. The pacer had a modest 2013-14 Sheffield season, picking up 21 wickets at 34.47 but spent most of the winter training under Australia's bowling coach, Craig McDermott in Townsville.
The selectors have opted for another pace option in Ben as we feel we have enough cover in the all-rounder position, National Selector Rod Marsh said.
"He is an experienced bowler who has worked very hard to get himself back to peak fitness and we know how well he can bowl in tough conditions," he added.
Kane Richardson has been on the fringes of the Australian ODI team and the selection gives him another opportunity to nail one of the bowling spots in the shorter formats of the game. "Kane is a talented young player who had an excellent series for Australia A in July and didn't disappoint in Zimbabwe earlier this month. He now has another opportunity to stake his claim at international level," Marsh said.
