Cricket Australia, on Tuesday, added uncapped Ben McDermott to the squad for the remainder of the ODI series against South Africa as a cover for Shaun Marsh. The left-hander missed the first ODI as he had to undergo a minor surgery on a buttock abscess.
Cricket Australia had confirmed the news shortly before the toss in Perth. D’Arcy Short replaced Marsh at No.3 but fell for a second-ball duck.
Meanwhile, there were hopes that Marsh would be available for the second ODI in Adelaide on Friday. But with nothing sure over availability, Australia has called-up McDermott as cover. McDermott recently made his T20I debut during the last month’s series against Pakistan in UAE but is yet to play in ODIs. Bizarrely, he was run out in all three of the matches against Pakistan.
“Part of the decision to include Ben is to ensure we have appropriate coverage should Shaun Marsh fail to recover in time for Friday’s second ODI,” national selector Trevor Hohns said.
“We will continue to monitor Shaun’s progress and give him every opportunity to prove his fitness ahead of the match.”
McDermott earns the call after his impressive show in domestic cricket. He was the second leading run-scorer in last month’s JLT Cup behind Chris Lynn, scoring 427 runs at an average of 71.16 and striking at 90.27. He made two centuries and two half-centuries in seven matches for Tasmania while opening the batting.
Meanwhile, Australia will be looking to bounce back after the heavy defeat in the last ODI. The reigning world champions suffered a crushing 6-wicket defeat in Perth. Asked to bat first, they were all out for just 152 before South Africa chased it down without breaking much sweat.