'It's been a bit frustrating' - Lance Morris reveals injury phase away from cricket

Lance Morris was ruled out of Ashes 2023 due to a back injury. After his comeback, he last featured in the Australian squad for the ODI series against West Indies in February. The series marked his international debut and he also claimed wickets in the third match in Canberra. But a side strain amidst the series has kept him at bay.

He was to feature for the Seattle Orcas in Major League Cricket but the scans highlighted a hot spot in his back and he missed Australia’s ongoing white-ball tour to the United Kingdom. As the pacer is currently undergoing rehab, he admitted that the recuperation process has been "frustrating".

"It's been a bit frustrating. I guess you call it a stress fracture, but when we scan it, it doesn't have the natural characteristics of a usual stress fracture. So there was some confusion at first around exactly what it was,” said Morris as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

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"The tricky one for me was I didn't actually have any back pain when I was bowling. I get monthly check-ins with an MRI on my back to make sure things are heading in the right direction. And it's been clearing up... healing, so that's a positive,” he added.

But the silver lining is I've stayed fit: Lance Morris 

Morris grabbed the spotlight for his ability to bowl over 150 kmph. After maintaining his fitness, his skill work was under par and he could not work on that for almost eight weeks. Thanks to the intact Cricket Australia contract, he is hoping to become stronger as a round-the-year cricketer. 

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"Frustrating to have to stop for a couple of months. I'm at that stage in my career with a Cricket Australia contract....it's a transition into a 12-month cricketer. I was continually preparing to go [to MLC], but never managed to get over there. But the silver lining is I've stayed fit and I feel stronger than ever. Whereas if I ignored it and cracked on with things, there's every likelihood that I would spend 12 months on the sidelines,” Morris concluded.