Photo Credit: Western Australian Cricket Association
WA pace bowler Matthew Kelly will be unavailable for the upcoming Australia A series against New Zealand A in Queensland after injuring his quad at training last week.
A timeframe for the 28-year-old’s return will be reviewed closer to the start of the 2023-24 domestic season.
Batter Hilton Cartwright, meanwhile, is unlikely to be available when WA’s campaign begins next month, following recent surgery to repair a meniscus tear.
Both players were pivotal to the State’s Marsh Sheffield Shield and Marsh One-Day Cup titles in 2022-23.
Kelly finished the Shield season with a team-high tally of 35 wickets at 15.77, earning him his maiden Australia A call-up.
The accurate right-armer also collected five wickets from as many One-Day Cup matches and was one of only four people to feature during last year’s Shield, One-Day Cup and KFC Big Bash League finals.
Cartwright, crowned WA’s Laurie Sawle medalist in 2021-22, enjoyed a consistent 2022-23 campaign, amassing 629 Shield runs including seven half-centuries.
Despite Kelly’s absence, there will be strong Western Australian representation during the Australia A series.
WA Men’s Head Coach Adam Voges will mentor the squad, which features opener Cameron Bancroft (selected for four-day matches), swing bowler Joel Paris (four-day), wicketkeeper-batter Josh Philippe (four-day and one-day), and hard-hitting right-hander Ashton Turner (one-day).
Australia A’s first unofficial Test starts on Monday 28 August at Allan Border Field in Brisbane, before a second four-day match starting Monday 4 September at Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay.
The series will remain in Mackay for the first of three 50-over games on Sunday 10 September, before returning to Allan Border Field for games on Wednesday 13 September and Friday 15 September.
Name of Author: Western Australia Cricket Association
WA Cricket, formerly known as the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA), is the governing body for cricket in Western Australia. Established on November 5, 1885, the WACA opened its iconic ground, the WACA Ground, in 1893.
