Fractured forearm rules Shaun Marsh out of 2019 World Cup; replacement named

At a time when almost everything was going their way, Australia suffered a big injury blow. Their middle-order batsman Shaun Marsh is out of the World Cup with a fractured forearm. The left-handed batsman suffered the injury in the nets when a delivery from Pat Cummins hit him on his forearm. Australia have recalled Peter Handscomb to replace Marsh in their 15-man World Cup squad.

Handscomb is already in England as a part of the Australia A side. The right-hander will join the team on Friday. The brutal net session did not only injure Marsh but also Glenn Maxwell. The explosive batsman was hit on the right forearm by a short ball from Mitchell Starc. Both batsmen aborted their net sessions and went for scans immediately. Fortunately, Maxwell did not suffer any sort of fracture.

Handscomb was a surprising omission from Australia’s World Cup squad. He was in supreme form in the lead-up to the competition but the arrival of Steve Smith and David Warner saw him getting dropped. Since the turn of the year, the wicketkeeper-batsman has scored 479 ODI runs at an average of 43.54 and a strike rate of 98.15. He has scored three fifties and a match-winning century against India.

Justin Langer confirms the news

Australia coach Justin Langer has confirmed that Shaun Marsh is out of the competition with the injury. He also gave an update on Glenn Maxwell, saying that the allrounder has been cleared of any serious injury.

“Shaun Marsh has had scans on his right forearm after being struck while practising in the nets at training today,” Langer was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. “Unfortunately, the scans have revealed Shaun has suffered a fracture to his forearm which will require surgery. This is obviously shattering news for Shaun and the squad. Throughout this tournament, his spirit, professionalism and the way he has competed has been typically outstanding. We are right behind Shaun in his recovery and rehabilitation.

“Glenn Maxwell also underwent scans after he was struck on his right forearm in the nets. The scans have cleared Glenn of any serious damage and we’ll continue to monitor him over the coming days. We are hopeful he will be fit to perform for us on Saturday against South Africa,” he added.

Australia have already sealed their place in the last four. They will take on South Africa in their last league game. A win against the Proteas will see Australia finish the league stage at the top of the points table.