Melbourne, Nov 7 (IANS): Pacer Michael Neser has been ruled out of the remainder of Australia A match against India A with hamstring injury after bagging four wickets on the opening day of the second unofficial Test.
Neser, who returned with the figures of 4-27, pulled up sharply following his second delivery of the 13th over in the morning. He immediately began limping off the ground in a clear sign that he knew exactly what the issue was.
A Cricket Australia (CA) spokesperson confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that Neser had injured his left hamstring and would not bowl again in the game. He will undergo scans to determine the severity of the injury.
Neser had experienced soreness in the same hamstring after his last Sheffield Shield match on October 23, when he bowled 48.5 overs for Queensland against South Australia. This soreness led him to miss a domestic One-Day Cup game against South Australia two days later.
After a brief rest, he returned to training without issues and was in good shape leading up to this match. However, fast bowlers have faced challenges with the MCG outfield this season, which has been top-dressed with sand following the Australian Football League season.
Australia’s Mitchell Starc also suffered cramps in recent Shield and ODI games at the MCG and noted that the outfield felt heavy and challenging to run on. Similarly, teammate Sean Abbott remarked on how heavy his legs felt after playing a Shield game there.
Neser entered the summer recovering from a calf injury sustained while playing in England. He had been on restricted bowling throughout pre-season up until the first Shield match of the summer in Perth.
While Neser was unlikely to be named in Australia’s squad for the first Test against India in Perth - with Scott Boland expected as the primary backup quick in a 13-man squad - there was a chance he could be called upon later in the series. The schedule includes a nine-day gap between the first and second Tests, but only a three-day gap between the second and third Tests in Adelaide and Brisbane.
Abbott and Nathan McAndrew would be potential options if Australia required another fast bowler beyond Boland for any Test.