Melbourne, Sep 8: Queensland fast bowler Callum Vidler was on Monday ruled out of Australia A’s upcoming white-ball tour of India due to a partial stress fracture, adding to the growing list of injured pacers from Down Under.
The 19-year-old joins Test captain Pat Cummins, Lance Morris and Brody Couch on the sidelines, further depleting Australia’s fast-bowling stocks ahead of the tour.
The series between the A teams of the two countries start on September 30.Vidler’s last appearance in professional cricket was in the Sheffield Shield 2024-25 final against South Australia in March when he picked up five wickets in a losing cause.“Callum experienced some back pain during training and promptly reported it. Unfortunately, the scans came back confirming a stress fracture so he will spend some time recovering and then start a rehab plan,” Queensland general manager of high performance Joe Dawes was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo.
“He’s naturally very disappointed but accepts that injuries are part of the game. We’ll work closely with him to ensure he has the best recovery to get him ready for a return to cricket,” Dawes added.Prior to Vidler’s withdrawal, Australia A had also lost Morris and Couch from the red-ball leg of the series against India, starting September 16, to injuries.
Couch had suffered a side strain but is expected to recover in time for the Shield season with Western Australia, while Morris is set to miss cricketing action for a year.
Vidler was part of Australia’s Under-19 World Cup winning squad in 2024.In Vidler’s absence, Henry Thornton will be with the team for the three white-ball matches.
Last week, Australia’s premier fast bowler Pat Cummins was ruled out of the senior team’s upcoming white-ball fixtures against New Zealand and India after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress in his back.The 32-year-old then said it would be “devastating” if he missed out on the first Ashes Test, which starts on November 21 in Perth, Western Australia.During the tour, Australia A will play two unofficial Tests and three unofficial ODIs. (PTI)
