Fresh blow for Australia: Ben Dwarshuis suffers pectoral strain, doubtful for England ODIs

Yet another Australia National Cricket Team pacer has gone down with an injury as Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed that the 30-year-old left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis has sustained a "suspected pectoral strain".

Ben Dwarshuis finally got to make his ODI debut for Australia after playing three T20Is for the side. He received his debut cap at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Thursday, September 19.

An opportunity for debut arrived for Ben Dwarshuis after several Aussie pacers got injured and ruled out of the five-match ODI series against England. Nathan Ellis is out with a hamstring injury, while Riley Meredith is out with side soreness. Xavier Bartlett sustained a side strain just like Spencer Johnson while Josh Hazlewood is facing calf issues.

Also, Mitchell Starc missed the first ODI because of the illness and Pat Cummins is out of the tour with his focus on strength and conditioning. Due to all these issues, the 19-year-old Mahli Beardman was added to the squad as a reserve, and Cooper Connolly, alongside Ben Dwarshuis, was kept in the main squad for England ODIs.

Ben Dwarshuis"suspected pectoral strain" while throwing off-balance from the boundary - Cricket Australia

Meanwhile, Dwarshuis was able to bowl just 4 overs before leaving the field injured. He bagged one wicket in his spell by dismissing Phil Salt with a peach and gave away 18 runs. Later, Cricket Australia revealed that the pacer sustained a "suspected pectoral strain" while throwing off-balance from the boundary.

"Unfortunate news for Ben Dwarshuis and Australia's already decimated pace stocks with CA confirming he's sustained a "suspected pectoral strain" while throwing off-balance from the boundary during his ODI debut. He won't return to the field in today's match #ENGvAUS," Cricket.com.au wrote on X.

Unfortunate news for Ben Dwarshuis and Australia's already decimated pace stocks with CA confirming he's sustained a "suspected pectoral strain" while throwing off-balance from the boundary during his ODI debut.

He won't return to the field in today's match #ENGvAUS pic.twitter.com/aiILeRAkvO

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) September 19, 2024

Earlier, speaking after losing the toss, the Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh said that the Aussie squad is in a good space despite injury blows, and players are ready to go. He elaborated:

"We were going to have a bowl. Squad is good. Ready to go today. Benny Dwarshius gets a debut. Main thing is teaching the importance of winning and to enjoy playing in front of the crowds here. He's an unbelievable team member. The trajectory of his career over the last few years has been incredible (talking about Zampa playing his 100th ODI)."

Notably, Australia bowled out England for 315 in 49.4 overs after being invited to bowl first. Spinners Marnus Labuschagne and Adam Zampa emerged as the top performers with their three-wicket hauls. Now, they would be aiming to chase down the target to take a 1-0 lead in the ongoing five-match ODI series and start the series on a high note against the Three Lions.

Australia (Playing XI): Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh(c), Steven Smith, Cameron Green, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey(w), Matthew Short, Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Adam Zampa

England (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Harry Brook(c), Jamie Smith(w), Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid

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