Ashton Agar Ruled Out Of ICC World Cup 2023: Report

Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar is reportedly ruled out of the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 due to a calf injury. It will be yet another big blow for Australia and give them another selection headache just before the marquee event.

Earlier this month, Australia suffered a huge injury blow when Travis Head suffered a fracture in his left hand. Although the left-handed batsman has been named in Australia’s preliminary World Cup squad, he is set to miss the first half of the competition.

Australia are expected to announce their final squad on Thursday (September 28), the deadline to announce the team. After September 28, teams will need permission from the ICC to make any changes to the squad. According to a report in Fox Sports, Australia could make a number of changes to their preliminary World Cup squad after the injury setbacks.

Ashton Agar out of World Cup 2023:

The report further stated that Ashton Agar is set to miss the World Cup after failing to recover from the calf injury that ruled him out of the T20I series against South Africa earlier this month.

Later, Ashton Agar played one ODI against the Proteas before returning home for the birth of his first child. He was a part of Australia’s squad for the recently concluded series but did not join the team for the assignment.

Fox Sports has reported that Ashton Agar is not expected to join the Australian white-ball squad in India. He is likely to be replaced by inexperienced spinner Tanveer Sangha while the likes of Marnus Labuschagne and Matthew Short are also in contention.

Adam Zampa will spearhead Australia’s spin attack in the World Cup. Glenn Maxwell’s performance with the ball in the third ODI against India showed that he is also capable of performing with the ball in Indian conditions. The part-time spinner picked up an impressive 4 wickets for 40 runs as Australia beat India by 66 runs and avoided a whitewash.

Australia squad for ODI World Cup 2023:

Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.