Australia fast-bowler Lance Morris could miss the upcoming Test series against New Zealand after suffering a side strain during the recently-concluded third ODI against West Indies in Canberra.
The right-arm pacer troubled the West Indies batters with his pace and picked up 2 wickets while conceding just 13 runs before the injury brought a premature end to his stay on the field. Bowling his fifth over, he felt pain in his left side and decided to walk off the field immediately to get medical assessment.
Soon after the pacer left the field, Cricket Australia confirmed that he had suffered a left side strain, and would head for a scan at some stage to determine the extent of the injury. The latest injury setback has put Lance Morris’ participation in the upcoming series against New Zealand in doubt.
Lance Morris doubtful for New Zealand Tests:
The two-Test series between New Zealand and Australia is scheduled to get underway on February 29 in Wellington and Lance Morris is in a race against time to be fit for the first Test. The 25-year old is yet to make his debut in the longest format of the game. He has played only one ODI in his international career so far.
While he was expected to play in the three-match Test series against Pakistan earlier this season, the Australian team-management decided against it. In all the three Tests, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood took care of their team’s pace department. Even in the two-Test series against West Indies, the trio played both the games.
Talking about the third ODI, Australia beat the West Indies by eight wickets to clean sweep the series. Bowling first, the hosts bowled out the beleaguered visitors for a paltry total of 86 runs. Xavier Bartlett starred with the ball, taking 4 wickets while Morris and Adam Zampa took 2 wickets each. In reply, Australia chased down the total in less than 7 overs.
