Jhye Richardson’s shoulder injury not grave; Aussie optimistic of making it to WC squad

Young Australian pacer Jhye Richardson had a terrible outing in the second ODI against Pakistan in Sharjah recently. Early into the game, the 22-year-old fell awkwardly to injure his shoulder and was ruled out the series. It was reported that Richardson dislocated his shoulder and flew back home to get the damage assessed and though he was in for an initial shock, Richardson remains hopeful of making it to the World Cup after scans revealed that there was no damage to the bone or fracture.

However, it is still not decided whether the Western Australia pacer will undergo surgery. His injury also put the Australian selectors and team management in a spot for quite a few fast bowlers have already been recovering from injury and the latest addition could make matters worse for the country while picking their squad for the World Cup starting in May. However, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, the two other premier Australian fast bowlers have hinted at recovery ahead of the big tournament.

No bone damage or fracture, says Aussie team physio

“Jhye Richardson has had scans on his right shoulder to assess the extent of his injury. The scans demonstrated the usual soft tissue damage we expect following a dislocation but fortunately has excluded any bone damage or fracture,” Australia’s team doctor Richard Saw was quoted as saying in a statement.

“We are hopeful that Jhye will not require surgery but he will see a shoulder specialist early next week for a further opinion. We will be able to provide an update in respect to next steps once we have all the information on the table.”

Richardson, who made his international debut in February 2017, has played two Tests, 24 ODIs and nine T20Is so far, taking 39 scalps. The youngster himself was boosted by the latest medical reports for he is keen to make it to his first World Cup this year.

“Everyone in the Australian camp is hopeful, I’m hopeful and in high spirits. I’m not ruling out the World Cup at this stage, that’s definitely not an option. It’s all about getting the shoulder right at this stage,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia.

Richardson added that coach Justin Langer was pleased with his performance. He said he too was satisfied with his own show against India and the way things were playing out against Pakistan. He took eight wickets against India in three ODIs recently and three against Pakistan in whatever overs he bowled against them in two matches. Richardson said the shoulder injury he sustained was unfortunate but added that such things happen and he looked forward to bouncing back fast.

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