No harm, No foul - Hit Australia look for redemption before the Ashes
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 is being hammered with a run of injuries before the Ashes 2010-2011. The most anticipated and celebrated rivalries between Australia and England is scheduled to begin in late November. Before that, Australia has a series against Sri Lanka and some
domestic cricket with the Sheffield Cup to prepare for the Ashes.
Though the injuries paint a different picture altogether. Many Australian players are being rested due to injuries. Fresh from a disappointing tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750, the Kangaroos are looking to redeem themselves in the series against Sri Lanka starting from October
31st. Luck is definitely not on the Aussies side as they make a bid to snatch the Ashes title from arch rivals England on their home ground.
Brad Haddin and Peter Siddle are both included in the Twenty20 squad against Sri Lanka. Wicket keeper Haddin had a long period of sidelining due to an elbow problem. He has not played for Australia since May as the injury did not allow him to pick up a bat.
The problem flared up during a one day against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 when he scored a century. Haddin termed the injury as “tennis elbow” and it had deteriorated to such an extent that he could not “hold the bat.” However, Haddin was still able to wicket keep but was
kept out until now.
Whereas speedster Siddle was out of action due to his back injury which saw him a five month lay off. Reports suggested that the injury came due to being overworked. However, Siddle dismissed the reports and said that he hasn’t “played much cricket coming
into the last two years.” He also battled with stress fractures early in his career which led to multiple reconstructions.
Haddin’s and Siddle’s form would be tested in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka which would determine their place in the Ashes.
Fast bowler and all rounder Ryan Harris has been out of the field since early July 2010. He was struck down with injury in his right knee. He underwent corrective knee surgery but was ruled out of domestic cricket due to “lingering pain and knee soreness.”
Despite the injuries he was named in the ODI team player of the year 2010 by International Cricket Council (ICC).
Another fast bowler and Aussies star player Brett Lee has been out of the international squad due to a broken right thumb in April 2010. Earlier, he returned from an elbow injury and since then his form has been a concern for the selectors. He has not played
for the country since October 2009 and faced another setback in the form of an arm injury. He declared himself as “fit” for his limited overs international return but was overlooked by the selectors.
Doug Bollinger was pulled out of the recently concluded Indian tour due to “severe pain in abdomen.” He was bowling in the first Test match at Mohali when he complained of abdominal pain. He was sent back and was not a part of the rest of the series. Bollinger
is still out of the squad for Sri Lanka.
The latest one to bite the dust is Simon Katich – the left hand batsman had added to the Australian selectors woes as he suffered a broken thumb. He fractured his thumb in India but “didn’t realize it was that bad.” Surgery has been ruled out for the time
being. Katich is struggling with batting due to the injury and is being given a three to six weeks recovery time. Although, he still hopes to be available for domestic cricket in the Sheffield Shield matches.
The absence of the Kangaroos key players in the tour of India might have contributed to their dismissal performance. The performance in the Test match was not a case of bad luck but the absence of spinners and fast bowlers gave a winning edge to the Indians.
The return of injured players in the squad for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 has to practice with their current form in preparation for the Ashes. However, if the injuries kept on unravelling in the coming month- then the Aussies need a lot to worry about.
Tags: