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Injury-ravaged Australia suffered yet another blow after all-rounder James Hopes was on Sunday ruled out of the remainder of the seven-match ODI series against India.
Cricket Australia on Sunday said Hopes will return home to continue his recovery from a right hamstring injury he suffered during the first one-dayer at Vadodara.
CA’s National Selection Panel has named pacer Clinton McKay, who impressed for Victoria Bushrangers during the inaugural Champions League Twenty20, as Lee’s replacement. McKay will join the Australian squad in Hyderabad ahead of the fifth match of the series.
New South Wales all-rounder Moises Henriques, who joined the team ahead of the third ODI in New Delhi last night, will continue to remain with the squad for remainder of the series.
“James has done everything he can with medical staff to make himself available for the remaining games of the tour. However, due to compressed nature of this tour and his speed of recovery we feel now we have insufficient time to have James fully fit to take part in the remaining games of this series,” Australia physio Kevin Sims said in a CA statement.
“Therefore, a decision has been made that James will return to Australia where he will continue his rehabilitation from this hamstring injury,” he said.
NSP Chairman Andrew Hilditch said, “With injuries to Brett Lee and James and both of these returning to Australia, the NSP has taken opportunity to add another bowler to the squad in Clinton McKay.”
Hopes’ returning home midway through the series comes as a big setback for Australia as they have already lost pacer Brett Lee and wicketkeeper Tim Paine.
“With Moises having played in the last ODI game and James Hopes going home, Moises will now remain with the squad in India for the duration of the series,” Hilditch said.
“Clinton is a young promising bowler who has recent very good form for Victoria in Champions League Twenty20 in India. He will be well suited to Indian conditions and we believe he is another young player who benefit from experience of being in the Australian team set-up during this tour,” he said.