Watch: 'Injury-prone' Jhye Richardson suffers freak injury as celebration goes wrong

Australian fast bowler Jhye Richardson suffered a new injury setback during his much-anticipated return to Sheffield Shield cricket. Richardson injured his shoulder while enthusiastically celebrating a wicket and had to leave the field on a hat trick during his first over of the match in domestic cricket.

Richardson, who had been sidelined due to a hamstring issue, returned to Sheffield Shield cricket after missing the first four matches of the season. The 28-year-old fast bowler was named in the starting XI for Western Australia’s day-night match against South Australia at Adelaide Oval in Adelaide.

Watch: Jhye Richardson Suffers Shoulder Injury as Celebration Goes Wrong

Western Australia scored 373 in their first innings before Richardson made an impressive start with the ball. Richardson moved the pink ball to trouble South Australia's top order. The right-arm pacer trapped Conor McInerney and Daniel Drew leg-before-wicket on consecutive deliveries in his first over.

However, Richardson injured his shoulder while celebrating a wicket. He grabbed his right shoulder after high-fiving a couple of his teammates. He left the field for a precautionary check. The bowler returned 30 minutes later and dismissed Thomas Kelly in his next over, clearing fears of a serious setback.

Seven Cricket shared the clip on X (formerly known as Twitter) with the caption: "Jhye Richardson, in his first #SheffieldShield game for a year, had two wickets in two balls...But in celebrating the second wicket he's hurt his shoulder high-fiving 😳 UPDATE: He's back on and bowling! Great news 🙌"

Jhye Richardson, in his first #SheffieldShield game for a year, had two wickets in two balls...

But in celebrating the second wicket he's hurt his shoulder high-fiving 😳

UPDATE: He's back on and bowling! Great news 🙌 pic.twitter.com/YIzUCdZMAK

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) November 24, 2024

I'm Not Even Thinking About Australian Selection - Jhye Richardson

Jhye Richardson, who has faced recurring shoulder issues, underwent surgery in 2020. He received a national contract earlier this year and remains focused on consistent performances rather than Australian team selection.

In a September interview with Fox Cricket, Richardson said that he had doubts about his skills during tough times but emphasized his current goal of building momentum and delivering strong performances for himself.

“You have those moments where you question yourself, about whether you’re still as skilful as what you were a couple of years ago, when everything was going alright,” Richardson told Fox Cricket in September.

“I’m not even thinking about Australian selection at the moment, it’s about stringing together some games and actually performing for myself.”

Jhye Richardson Missed 2019 and 2023 World Cups Due to Injury

Richardson is making his first-class return after almost a year due to injury. This injury scare is particularly worrying given his history of recurring injuries, which have disrupted his international career. These setbacks have already caused him to miss significant time with both Australia and Western Australia.

Richardson missed both the 2019 and 2023 World Cups due to injury. Since his international debut in 2017, he has played three Tests, 15 ODIs, and 8 T20Is, taking 57 wickets across all formats.

Also read: Watch: Yashasvi Jaiswal flabbergasted after throwing his wicket; gets consolation hugs from Virat Kohli-Rishabh Pant