Aaron Hardie’s hopes of building momentum on Australia A’s tour of India have been halted by a shoulder injury, with the Western Australia all-rounder withdrawn from both the four-day and one-day legs. Victoria’s Will Sutherland, already pencilled in for the 50-over matches, will join the red-ball squad in Lucknow for the second four-day fixture that starts on 23 September. A replacement for the white-ball portion is expected “in the next few days,” according to team management.
Medical staff remain reasonably upbeat. The current plan is for Hardie to resume bowling in time for the opening Sheffield Shield round, when WA host New South Wales at the WACA on 4 October. Nothing is guaranteed, though, and selectors will keep an eye on his progress before making any decisions on Australia’s early-season white-ball commitments, including the short ODI and T20 tour of India.
Hardie’s injury is another reminder of a pre-season casualty list that is growing longer than coaches would like. Pat Cummins continues his recovery from a back complaint; WA quick Lance Morris is out for around 12 months after surgery on the same area; and teenage seamer Callum Vidler has been diagnosed with a stress fracture. Morris had been due to spearhead the Australia A attack in India, while Vidler was earmarked for the one-dayers. Brody Couch took Morris’s place but then injured his side in Darwin, leading to South Australia’s Henry Thornton receiving a late call-up.
Schedule at a glance – The first four-day game against India A begins on 16 September, followed by the second match a week later. Three List A contests in Kanpur wrap up the trip on 30 September, 3 October and 5 October.
Selector George Bailey, speaking last week about the tour, described it as “a valuable opportunity to expose emerging players to sub-continental conditions.” Even without Hardie and Morris, that rationale stands: Todd Murphy, Xavier Bartlett and Jake Fraser-McGurk headline a group aiming to nudge the national pecking order.
Analytically, losing Hardie dents the side’s balance more than their outright pace stocks. He offers seam-up overs, a middle-order presence and calm fielding. Sutherland provides a similar skill-set—slightly quicker through the air, marginally less experienced with the bat—so the swap feels logical. The bigger concern is the pattern of back-related injuries among Australia’s quicks. Conditioning staff have already tweaked workloads; the coming months will reveal whether that adjustment is enough.
Updated Australia A squads
Four-day: Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Jack Edwards, Campbell Kellaway, Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Oliver Peake, Josh Philippe, Corey Rocchiccioli, Liam Scott, Will Sutherland (second match only), Henry Thornton.
One-day: Cooper Connolly, Harry Dixon, Jack Edwards, Sam Elliott, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey, Todd Murphy, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Lachie Shaw, Tom Straker, Will Sutherland, Henry Thornton, plus one to be confirmed.
