Michael Neser (Photo Source: Twitter)
After a profoundly resonant opening spell by Australia A’s Michael Neser which saw him wreak havoc against India A in the second unofficial Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, he unfortunately suffered some issues in his left hamstring after the second delivery of his 13th over on the opening day. Cricket Australia has confirmed that the seamer won’t take the field any further. Although it wasn’t definite that he would play against India in the forthcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to Cameron Green’s unavailability due to a fracture in his lumbar spine, a window of opportunity might have opened up for him.
As per current developments, it is highly unlikely that Neser will play in the series opener in Perth. However, all is not lost. A minimum gap of 10 days between the first and second Test could see him recover to be a part of the remainder of the series. He could also feature in the squad as a part of managing the workload of some other pacers. Interestingly, today’s instance was not the first time Neser was troubled. His last Sheffield Shield game saw him suffer a similar niggle, due to which he had to miss a One-Day Cup game shortly after.
He had felt a sort of soreness while running on the outfield due to extra sand on the ground which was because of the ongoing Australian Football season. Neser’s claims were backed up by Mitchell Starc and Sean Abbott. While Starc had his battles with cramps, Abbot alleged that his legs felt heavy.
Neser blows away India A, Australia A end up on top
The bowling all-rounder was right on the money. The very first over saw him claim Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sai Sudharsan in succession. His very next over saw skipper, Ruturaj Gaikwad, get dismissed for a cheap score. At that moment, India were four down within the first three overs of Day 1.
India A were eventually skittled for 161. In response, Australia A started brightly. Despite their skipper, Nathan McSweeney, and Cameron Bancroft getting dismissed, they would still consider themselves with a firm grip on proceedings as they ended the day’s play trailing the visitors by 108 runs.