Lance Morris and Jhye Richardson, two fast bowlers for Cricket Australia who have faced many injuries, are getting ready to return to domestic white-ball cricket. Both players are named in Western Australia’s 14-man squad for their opening matches of the One-Day Cup. They will face New South Wales on Sunday and South Australia on Tuesday, at Cricket Central in Sydney.
Morris hasn’t played any cricket since February when he hurt his side during his second One-Day International (ODI) match. The injury ended his season early. Even though he felt no pain, scans during the off-season showed a problem in his back, which meant he had to miss the Major League Cricket tournament. He also wasn’t chosen for Australia’s limited-overs tour of the UK.
Morris will start slow in his return to red-ball cricket (longer format games) and is expected to play just one of the two 50-over matches next week. Western Australia has included six fast bowlers in the squad, which also features experienced players Jason Behrendorff and Andrew Tye, who are no longer contracted to any team.
On the other hand, Richardson did play some cricket during the winter after dealing with hamstring and shoulder injuries in the past seasons. He appeared in one Indian Premier League (IPL) game for Delhi Capitals and played three matches for Perth Scorchers in the Top End T20 Series in Darwin in August. Richardson’s return to domestic 50-over cricket is a positive sign, but it’s still unclear if he will be fit for first-class cricket (like the Sheffield Shield) in October.
Ashton Agar, a left-arm spinner who has also decided to become a freelance cricketer, is included in Western Australia’s squad along with Behrendorff and Tye. Cameron Bancroft will likely take over wicketkeeping duties for WA, as regular keeper Josh Inglis is on national duty. Former WA wicketkeeper-batter and opening batsman Josh Philippe will play against his old team on Sunday for the first time, as he has now moved to New South Wales. Philippe played a key role in helping WA win three straight One-Day Cup titles and was named Player of the Tournament in 2022-23.
Western Australia is aiming to become the first men’s team in Australia’s domestic One-Day cricket history to win four consecutive titles. They have already won five out of the last seven titles.
In other news, Tasmania’s fast bowlers Nathan Ellis and Riley Meredith will miss their first two One-Day Cup matches against Victoria and Queensland in Melbourne on Monday and Wednesday. Ellis is still recovering from a hamstring injury that kept him out of Australia’s limited-overs tour of the UK, while Meredith, who just returned to Australia, will need another scan on the side injury he got during the first match of the UK tour against Scotland.
