AUSTRALIA have been dealt a significant injury blow after the win over South Africa on Saturday. Their opener David Warner has been ruled out for at least the next two weeks due to a fractured finger.The opener copped a blow to the tip of his left index finger during Australia’s 36-run victory over South Africa in St Kitts and subsequent X-rays have revealed the digit to be fractured.
The injury has all but ruled Warner out of Australia’s three remaining preliminary matches of this ODI tri-series in the West Indies, but he could return for the final in Barbados on 26 June.
But with a lengthy tour of Sri Lanka beginning in around six weeks, ahead of a tour of South Africa and the international summer of cricket, Cricket Australia may yet take a conservative approach with one of their best and most consistent players.
“We will assess the situation over the coming days to see if the injury requires a surgical option,” said team doctor Geoffrey Verrall.
“But should that not be the case then David is likely to be available to return to play in somewhere between two and six weeks.”
The results of Warner’s X-rays will be examined more closely in the coming days before a decision is made on whether or not he will return home.
With just two weeks left in the series and a 16-man squad already in the Caribbean, it seems unlikely that a replacement player will be called for even if Warner is forced out of the entire series.
Warner, whose wife and two daughters are with him in the Caribbean, is staying optimistic.
“It’s obviously disappointing to be sidelined given the form I’ve been in and given the important stage the tri-series is at, but it’s always important to look at the positives,” Warner said.(Cricket Australia).