Shaun Marsh and James Faulkner ruled out of South Africa's tour

Australia has suffered two major blows ahead of departing to South Africa for the limited overs tour after batsman Shaun Marsh and all-rounder James Faulkner were ruled out of Australia, Cricket Australia announced on Thursday. The limited overs tour features five one-day internationals against the Proteas and one against Ireland.

Marsh is said to have broken his finger while Faulkner will be unable to tour due to a calf strain he suffered during the training session on Thursday. The CA has announced Usman Khawaja as the replacement for Marsh for the tour while it has been stated that Faulkner would not be replaced.

“Shaun undertook a follow-up X-ray and was reviewed by specialists this week,” team physiotherapist David Beakley said. “Unfortunately due to the fracture being in the joint of the finger we have decided to take a more conservative approach. Therefore he will not be available for the … series in South Africa.

Also, read – India has always been a great country to come to: Stephen Fleming

“James suffered a low-grade calf strain during a fitness session in Sydney today which we expect to take three to four weeks to recover. Unfortunately, this means he will also be unavailable for the South Africa series.”

The first match of the tour is against Ireland in Benoni on Sept. 27 before Steve Smith’s side play the first of the five one-day matches against South Africa in Centurion on Sept.30.

While Faulkner is expected to return quickly, CA would hope that Marsh is also able to recover quickly be available for selection ahead of Australia’s packed summer schedule. Australia will play three-Test series against South Africa.

They will then play New Zealand at home and away ODI competitions followed by a home series against Pakistan and three T20s against Sri Lanka. They will then finally come back to Asia again for a four-Test tour of India.