“The CA medical team are still hopeful that he will recover in time for the first Test against India”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin has been ruled out of the ongoing ODI series against South Africa as he is still recovering from a shoulder injury.

Haddin sustained the injury during the second Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and is now looking to be fully fit before the Test series against India gets underway on December 4 in Brisbane.

According to Australia physiotherapist Alex Kountouris and Cricket Australia’s chief medical officer, Dr John Orchard, Haddin has injured the AC joint in his right shoulder.

“He has improved and responded to treatment since returning from the UAE but has not recovered sufficiently to return to training and therefore he has been declared unfit for the remainder of ODI series against South Africa,” Kountouris said. “Whilst it is disappointing that Brad will miss the ODI series, the CA medical team are still hopeful that he will recover in time for the first Test against India.”

Australia head coach Darren Lehmann also made it clear that Haddin must play some cricket before the start of the first Test against India. This would mean that Haddin has to represent New South Wales in their Sheffield Shield match against South Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on November 25.

“He would have to play some cricket before the first Test starts,” Lehmann told Brisbane radio station 4BC. “There’s a Shield game before the first Test, so if he misses all the one-dayers then he would probably have to play that I would think.”