Australia’s World Cup squad has been dealt another injury concern, with spinner Ashton Agar missing the third ODI against South Africa due to lingering soreness.
The Proteas claimed a comprehensive 111-run victory over Australia in Potchefstroom, with South African spinners Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj wreaking havoc on the spin-friendly wicket.
Australia was rolled for 227 in less than 35 overs, with captain Mitchell Marsh, Marnus Labuschagne and Marcus Stoinis all falling to spin.
Adam Zampa (rested) and Agar (soreness) were both sidelined for Tuesday’s match at Sedgars Park, with young leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha handed his ODI debut.
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“Ash wasn‘t unavailable for selection today, so that made it tough to play two spinners,” Marsh told reporters in the post-match press conference.
“Zamps has got a big workload coming up, so we thought today was a good opportunity to rest him and give Tanveer an opportunity.”
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Marsh confessed the Australians had misjudged the pitch, which replicated the subcontinent conditions they’ll encounter in India next month.
“The wicket probably took a little more spin than we first thought at the start of the day,” Marsh said.
“That’s ok, we’re certainly going to be exposed to those sorts of conditions throughout the World Cup, so it’s good for our batting team.
“It’s tough to take, but we move on.”
Agar, who missed the T20s against South Africa due to a calf injury, will return home for the birth of his first child. The 29-year-old, who rescued the tourists with an unbeaten 48 in Bloemfontein last week, is not expected to link up with the World Cup squad until after Australia’s three-match ODI series against India.
The West Australian, who has only bowled nine overs in professional cricket since March, will only be available for warm-up matches against the Netherlands and Pakistan before the World Cup campaign gets underway in early October.
Agar joins Glenn Maxwell (ankle), Cameron Green (concussion), Pat Cummins (shoulder), Steve Smith (wrist) and Mitchell Starc (groin) in the casualty ward, while uncapped seamer Spencer Johnson is also nursing a hamstring complaint.
“Hopefully Green will be able to play maybe the last game,” Marsh said.
“I‘m unsure how many more days he’s got left with the new concussion protocols, but we certainly won’t be taking any risks with that kind of stuff.
“Spencer’s hopefully tracking well to play in one of those two games. He’s early on in his international career and we’ve got to look after him. Hamstrings are something you can’t really rush back, but hopefully he’s fit for one of the two last games and we can get a look at him.”
Cummins, Smith and Starc, who have been spotted training in Sydney this week, are expected to join the national squad in India ahead of the ODI series, while Maxwell’s injury remains cause for concern. The Victorian recently confessed he’s still feeling the effects of the gruesome leg injury he sustained last summer, with Labuschagne looming as a potential replacement if required.
The fourth ODI between South Africa and Australia gets underway at Centurion on Friday at 9pm AEST.