“He has got to prove to us he can bowl 20 overs in an innings or roughly about and make sure he’s ready to go”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Australia pace bowler Ryan Harris is likely to be sidelined for the first Ashes Test in Cardiff after he aggravated his knee injury.

While officials have diagnosed Harris’ injury as nothing more than “soreness”, it was enough to rule him out of the ongoing warm-up match against Essex.

Harris underwent knee surgery in March last year and made his comeback against India in December. However, he missed Australia’s recent tour of the West Indies due to the birth of his first child.

While Harris has admitted that his knee still bothers him after long and gruelling spells, he knows that he has to be fully fit to be considered for selection.

Australia head coach Darren Lehmann has made it clear that Harris will have a good chance of being included in the squad if he can bowl approximately 20 overs per innings.

“At the end of the day, Ryan Harris has got to be fully fit and if he’s doing that then he’s a big part of our side or squad going forward,” Lehmann said. “He has got to prove to us he can bowl 20 overs in an innings or roughly about and make sure he’s ready to go. If he can do that, he certainly comes into consideration.”