Australian off-spinner Nathan Hauritz in Sydney in November, 2010. Hauritz faces surgery on his injured right shoulder as Australia’s World Cup injury crisis mounts.
©AFP/File – Krystle Wright
MELBOURNE (AFP) – Spinner Nathan Hauritz faces surgery on his injured right shoulder as Australia’s World Cup injury crisis mounts.
Hauritz dislocated his shoulder in the field during Friday’s second one-day international against England, joining fellow World Cup squad members Mike Hussey, Ricky Ponting and Shaun Tait on a growing injury list just a month out from Australia’s title defence in the prestigious tournament.
Overlooked for the entire Ashes series, Hauritz was playing his first international for the southern summer on Friday, having been named in the 15-man World Cup squad on Tuesday.
If Hauritz does need surgery, he will become the second member of that squad to go under the knife in less than a week, after Hussey had surgery to repair a severe hamstring tear.
Australian physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said Saturday a decision on the best way to treat Hauritz had not been finalised and confirmed he was in doubt for the World Cup.
“Nathan had scans this afternoon following his shoulder dislocation yesterday,” he said.
“These scans are used to assess the amount of structural damage caused by the dislocation and will help guide the treatment of this injury.
“They have demonstrated moderate disruption of the supportive structures at the shoulder.
“We will now seek a specialist opinion to determine the next course of action,” he said.
“It is likely he will be unavailable for the remainder of the Commonwealth Bank Series and his availability for the ICC Cricket World Cup will be determined in the coming weeks.”
Hauritz has been replaced in the Australian side for the ODIs against England by Tasmanian Xavier Doherty, who was overlooked for the World Cup squad.
Hussey clearly faces a race against time to be fit for the tournament, while captain Ponting’s broken finger continues to be a concern as he attempts to be fit to lead the side in their bid for a fourth successive 50-overs title.
The injury-plagued Tait broke down again on Friday with a thigh strain, having missed the opening game of the one-day series against England with a back problem, but Kountouris said he had been cleared of any serious damage.
Another World Cup squad member, Mitchell Johnson, is also sidelined by a throat infection.
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