Johannesburg, Aug 15:Australia have been hit with a major late blow ahead of their three-match ODI series against South Africa, set to begin on August 19 in Cairns. Three players—Mitchell Owen, Lance Morris, and Matt Short—have all been ruled out due to injury concernsOwen has been sidelined by a concussion after being struck on the grille of his helmet by a Kagiso Rabada bouncer during the second T20I in Darwin. Although he passed the on-field assessment, delayed symptoms forced him into the mandatory 12-day concussion protocol, ruling him out of both the T20I decider and the entire ODI series, postponing his planned ODI debut.
Short, who had already missed the first two T20Is with a side strain sustained during the West Indies tour, has not recovered in time and thus been ruled out of the white-ball matches—including the ODIs.
Morris is also out, having reported lower back soreness during training. He returned to Perth for further evaluation, and his fitness concerns now extend beyond the ODI series, affecting his availability for the Australia A tour of India.
In response, the selectors have drafted in Aaron Hardie, Matthew Kuhnemann, and Cooper Connolly as replacements, with the ODI series scheduled for August 19 (Cairns), August 22 and 24 (both in Mackay).
Australia entered their T20I series against South Africa in red-hot form, riding an eight-match winning streak dating back to late 2024. They extended it to nine with a 17-run victory in the first T20I in Darwin on August 10, thanks to Tim David’s explosive 83 off 53 balls.
However, South Africa hit back in the second T20I on August 12, halting the streak in emphatic fashion. Dewald Brevis produced a breathtaking 125 not off 56 balls—the highest T20I score by a South African—to lead his side to a daunting 218 for seven. Australia faltered in the chase, bowled out for 165 in 17.4 overs to lose by 53 runs.
With the three-match series now level at 1–1, the decider in Cairns promises to be a high-stakes clash between two attacking, form-driven sides.