SOUTH AFRICA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA, 2025
Owen got hit on the helmet grill during the second T20I against South Africa © Getty
Mitchell Owen’s rapid rise has come to a small halt after he was ruled out of the remaining matches against South Africa at home as a result of a concussion. Owen got hit on the helmet grill during the second T20I against South Africa and even though he passed the concussion tests on the field, he showed delayed symptoms later.
As per Cricket Australia’s concussion guidelines, Owen will have to rest for 12 days. Unfortunately for the allrounder, Australia will be playing the final T20I and the three ODIs against South Africa in that period, which means a debut in the 50-over format will have to wait.
Apart from Owen, Australia will also be without Matt Short and Lance Morris for the ODIs. Short, who was present in both the squads, hasn’t featured so far after sustaining a side injury in the West Indies that had also ruled him out of those five T20Is. While he was expected to regain fitness by now, the recovery has been slow and as a result, he will now focus on getting fit in time for the start of the domestic summer.
Morris on the other hand complained of lower back soreness and has now returned to Perth for further examination. Aaron Hardie and Matthew Kuhnemann, who are already with the T20I squad at the moment, will stay back for the ODIs too. Hardie was present most recently in Australia’s Champions Trophy squad too but Kuhnemann hasn’t played the format in over three years now. Meanwhile, Josh Inglis will remain with the squad despite missing the last T20I with ‘flu-like symptoms’.
© Cricbuzz
