Australian swashbuckling batsman Ashton Turner is expected to undergo shoulder operation after Australia’s A tour of England. He will look to bolster his chances of reclaiming a place in the Australian squad. He missed out on a berth in the preliminary World Cup squad. However, he might be in the scheme of things if any of the batters get injured during the course of the tournament or before that.
In an exclusive interview with the ESPN Cricinfo, Ashton Turned stated that he was severely restricted in the field in the last four months. His shoulder injury flared up during the Big Bash League which restricted his movement during the IPL. He hasn’t managed to throw at pace and hasn’t bowled a single delivery since 22nd December last year.
Ashton Turner was definitely in the mix for a World Cup berth after his heroics with the bat against India in an ODI in Mohali. He scored a sensational 80 odd against India which helped Australia win that game while chasing a huge score of 350+ runs. His limitations in the field forced the selectors to omit him from the World Cup squad.
“Realistically, being a bit limited with my shoulder and what I can contribute outside of my batting probably cost me an opportunity to play in the UAE series,” Turner said. “I’m going to have surgery [on his troublesome right shoulder] in a couple of months. Missing out on the World Cup squad has only motivated me more to want to get back there because being a part of that Australian side was such a great experience. That’s where I want to be.”
Ashton Turner is currently selected in Australia A squad for the five-match limited tour of England which will be played simultaneously with the World Cup. Following that series, he will undergo an operation and will return home by July and hope to fit for the Australian domestic summer. Meanwhile, on the other hand, he will be shattered after not managing to make it to the World Cup squad.
“I’ve had a couple of operations before but the results haven’t been as good as we’d hoped,” Turner said. “So I’m having a slightly different operation, which is probably a bit more sturdy than the one I’ve had before.
“I’ll probably be out for three months after that and be ready for the Australian home summer. Lots of things were taken into consideration the timing of the operation. I’ve known since Boxing Day last year when I injured it, that I was going to have to get something done again.
This is the best time for me to have it. And certainly, the T20 World Cup [in 2020] and the home summer were high on the agenda of things I needed to be fit and available for selection for.”
Ashton Turner who is recently plying his trade for the Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing edition of the IPL has been quite ordinary in the tournament so far. He was dismissed for three golden ducks in three back to back matches. Finally, he managed to score a run in the tournament when RR defeated the Sunrisers Hyderabad in their previous game.