Australia’s UK tour faces another setback with pace bowler Xavier Bartlett suffering a side strain during the first T20I against England in Southampton.
Bartlett, who initially struggled with a no-ball in his first over—leading to a near-missed wicket of Phil Salt that was caught by captain Mitchell Marsh unaware of the call—eventually managed to dismiss Jordan Cox during the powerplay. In a rare strategy for a T20 match, Bartlett bowled his four overs consecutively, using the swing to his advantage on a cold night. However, he was unable to complete his final over due to the injury.
Should Bartlett’s tour come to an end, it would add to the mounting injury woes with Spencer Johnson already sidelined with a side injury and Nathan Ellis out with a hamstring issue. Riley Meredith, initially brought in for the Scotland series after Josh Hazlewood’s calf injury, has been retained for the T20 matches against England following Ellis’s withdrawal.
Bartlett’s injury increases the chances of Meredith being included for the second T20I in Cardiff on Friday. Alternatively, Aaron Hardie and Cooper Connolly are available as options.
Selectors have not yet announced a replacement for Ellis in the one-day squad. New South Wales’ left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis will be arriving ahead of the ODI series, though he is presently only on standby and not officially included in the squad. Dwarshuis, who is uncapped in ODIs, has played three T20Is.
Despite his impressive breakthrough earlier this year with back-to-back four-wicket hauls against West Indies, Bartlett was not slated for the ODI series. This side injury could potentially jeopardize his participation in the upcoming domestic season with Queensland, as the Marsh Cup is set to begin later this month, followed by the Sheffield Shield in early October.
In Southampton, Hazlewood made a strong comeback, claiming 2 for 32 in his four overs, including the crucial wicket of Liam Livingstone, who was looking to steer England back into the game. Hazlewood, along with Mitchell Starc, will feature in the ODI series, but Pat Cummins is sitting out the entire tour to focus on strength and conditioning ahead of the home season.
