Sydney: Right-arm pacer Sean Abbott has been ruled out of the first Test against India while all-rounder Moises Henriques have been added to the Australia squad for the Adelaide game which begins Thursday.
Abbott picked up a calf strain in the day-night tour match at the Sydney Cricket Ground Saturday and will continue his rehabilitation, informed Cricket Australia on Monday. He is expected to re-join the squad for the Boxing Day Test.
Henriques was supposed to play the second warm-up match against India but a scan last Wednesday revealed a low-grade hamstring strain that subsequently ruled him out of the pink-ball fixture. However, the 33-year-old cleared a fitness Test on Monday morning and will join the Australian squad in Adelaide for the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Henriques comes in for Will Pucovski who was ruled out of the first Test after he was diagnosed with mild concussion on the final day of the first tour match. Also, Marcus Harris has been recalled to the squad following the injury to David Warner, who suffered an adductor strain in the second ODI against the Men in Blue last month.
Both Pucovski and Warner are targeting a return in the second Test beginning December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but their participation remains in doubt.
Australia have suffered from a host of injuries in the past one month. Marcus Stoinis (side), Warner (adductor), Ashton Agar (calf and finger), Mitch Starc (back and ribs), Josh Hazlewood (back), Aaron Finch (glute), Henriques (hamstring), Pucovski (concussion), Cameron Green (concussion), Jackson Bird (calf), Harry Conway (concussion) and Abbott (calf) have also suffered injuries at some point or the other in the last 30 days.
IANS