James Faulkner ruled out of South Africa Test series

Melbourne, Jan 28 (IANS) All-rounder James Faulkner has been ruled out of Australia’s Test Tour of South Africa with a right knee injury and will undergo arthroscopic surgery here later Tuesday, Cricket Australia (CA) announced.

Faulkner will be replaced in the touring Test squad by New South Wales all-rounder Moises Henriques, while South Australian Kane Richardson has been drafted in to take his place in Australia’s squad for the T20 Internationals against England, beginning in Hobart Wednesday night.

CA physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said Faulkner injured his knee during the Australia’s ODI in Adelaide.

“He has had subsequent scans and was reviewed by Cricket Australia’s medical team and a knee specialist, and will require arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday,” said Kountouris.

Faulkner’s exact rehab plan and return to training and playing will be determined after surgery but unfortunately for him, he will not be available for the upcoming Test tour of South Africa.

“We are hopeful that he will recover in time to play the Twenty 20 games on that tour and take part in the ICC World Twenty 20,” Kountouris added.

National selector John Inverarity said Henriques has shown some good form recently with both bat and ball and he provides a good fit when looking to replace James.

“The NSP (National Selection Panel) is hopeful that James will be fit for the three Twenty 20s in South Africa and for the ICC World Twenty 20 as that is a key tournament for him,” said Inverarity.

“Kane Richardson has been called to Hobart to replace James in our Twenty 20 squad. He has shown promise as a shorter-form young cricketer and will gain from the experience of being involved,” he added.

Meanwhile, Test batsman Shaun Marsh has a calf strain and will not travel to South Africa as scheduled. He will remain in Perth for further treatment over the coming days. A decision on whether he will travel to South Africa will be made in due course.

Test squad paceman Jackson Bird will also remain in Hobart to be assessed by CA’s medical staff and return to bowling to determine if he has recovered sufficiently enough to take his place on the South Africa tour.