Injuries [Maxwell, Head.]

[K]

"Pat Cummins looks set to miss Australia's ODIs against South Africa due to his fractured wrist and instead return for the series against India...

Cummins injured his left wrist diving in the field on day one of the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval but played on before beginning his ongoing recovery."

(cricket.com.au)

[K]

Flat-track bully Steve Smith is also out injured (wrist).

Mitch Starc too (groin).

[K]

Maxwell ruled out of SA T20s as Wade returns

'A setback to the leg Glenn Maxwell broke last year has forced the star allrounder to fly home from South Africa early, but Australia remain confident he is on track to spearhead their upcoming ODI World Cup tilt.
...

The 34-year-old Maxwell was set to miss the ODI leg of the South Africa campaign anyway to return home for the birth of his first child. He now joins the likes of Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Cameron Green and David Warner as key white-ball players who will miss at least the T20 leg of the tour.

Maxwell, who still has a metal plate in his left leg after fracturing his fibula in a freak birthday-party accident last November, aggravated his ankle during Australia's first training session in Durban.
...

"It's been hard work. I've been smashing the gym non-stop and doing a lot of running and weight lifting trying to get my strength back in my left side," Maxwell told cricket.com.au before departing for South Africa.'

(cricket.com.au)

[K]

Disaster for Oz. Travis Head broke his left hand batting against S. Africa (Gerald Coetzee).

Video: https://www.cricket.com.au/videos/3684178/injury-scare-as-head-retires-hurt-with-hand-blow

And for NZ. Tim Southee broke (and dislocated) his right thumb fielding against England.

[Donny]

Abbott off the field, in the 5th. ODI v. SA, with a suspected broken finger.

[K]

Maxwell and FTB have both had cortisone injections as part of their rehab.

[K]

Ashton Agar (calf injury) has missed Oz's ODI WC squad.

And Axar Patel (left quad strain) missed India's squad, replaced by Ashwin.

Better news for NZ: Kane Williamson and Tim Southee have made it. But Kane will still miss NZ's opening match against England.

[K]

Brettig:

Hiding Maxwell, nursing Green: Head not Australia’s only worry

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/cricket-world-cup-maxwell-green-head-walk-australia-s-tightrope-20230929-p5e8l0.html

'Glenn Maxwell is nothing if not conspicuous. But he may have to be hidden in “quieter” parts of the field for the remainder of his career ...
...

As for Head’s inclusion, there is no date set for his arrival in India, nor which game he is aiming to be fit for. There remains a chance that, should Head suffer a setback in his recovery, a second spin bowler may ultimately be drafted in. Conceivably, this could be Agar once he recovers, or the travelling reserve Tanveer Sangha.'

[K]

The best batsman in the world, NZ captain Kane Williamson, finally made his return from his ACL tear in NZ's 3rd WC game. But his left thumb was injured when hit by a bad Shakib throw. Shakib was trying to run him out. Kane retired hurt shortly after. He will have scans.

Update: confirmed broken. NZ hope he'll return before the pointy end.

[K]

'Head is due to rejoin Australia's World Cup squad in Delhi today...

The left-hander avoided surgery on his hand but was in a splint until nine days ago. While he started hitting tennis balls before progressing to facing bowlers throughout last week, but Bailey said he wasn't sure how realistic a return would be for Australia's next match against the Netherlands on Wednesday.
...

"It can be a six to eight-week injury. He's ticked all the boxes in terms of the four-week scan and the bone has healed, so that's all going well, and he's progressed really well through the week ...

"But clearly the whole point of having him ... and carrying him to this point is not to then risk it by bringing him back early.

"So if it works out that it's Dutch game, great. If it's a little bit further on, then that's OK."'

(cricket.com.au)

[K]

Alyssa Healy: Right index finger mangled by her puppy dogs.

Surgery last Sunday morning. WBBL Sixers "awaiting more details".

[K]

Maxwell (concussion, falling off golf cart ) out of England clash.

Marsh (home for personal reasons) out indefinitely (but will return).

Stoinis (calf) should return (but Oz will lack the 2nd spinner).

............................................................................................

Meanwhile...

The best Test batsman in the world, Kane Williamson, has returned against Pakistan.

Currently 56*(51).

[K]

FTB Smith is suffering vertigo.

Speaking of FTB and injury...

FTB's tormentor Adil Rashid... Why isn't he in the Test team? cricinfo:
"Rashid took 60 wickets in 19 Tests, but often struggled for control and a long-standing shoulder complaint meant his focus returned to the shorter formats after the 2019 tour of the Caribbean." The Barbados Test in January 2019 was his last FC match.

And he's now almost 36...

[K]

'Fitness concerns around Australia’s star fast bowling trio have been allayed with Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood set to play in the New Year’s Test on a four-day turnaround from last week’s MCG thriller.
...

Starc began the summer with a groin niggle that has been monitored throughout the Test series.
...

Starc hasn’t shown any ill effects though...

Hazlewood too has been in strong form after missing large portions of the past two summers due to side strain issues.'

(SMH)

[K]

Jake Fraser-McGurk denies he taunted the monkey:


“That wasn’t happening. People add on to that because that’s who I am, I’m a bit of an outgoing person, they would have thought I was doing that but I wasn’t. You had to be there to understand what was going on.

“I was feeding the monkey, as I was allowed to. He ate all the food in my hand. It looked like he was a bit upset. I was a bit too close to the cage. He’s gone at me, got me in the eye. I had a little scratch on the eyelid and needed all sorts of treatment and some of that treatment was a bit safer in Australia.”

(The Age)