Australian left-arm off-spinner Ashton Agar has unfortunately been ruled out of the 2023 World Cup in India. The Daily Telegraph reports that Agar is still recovering from a calf injury that caused him to miss the recently concluded ODI series against India.
Agar has been struggling with calf issues for quite some time now. During training with Western Australia prior to the Aussies' tour of South Africa, he suffered a minor calf tear. Although he managed to make a comeback for the ODI series, he was forced to withdraw after the first match due to calf soreness.
Agar had been eagerly anticipating the World Cup, which was set to take place between the T20I and ODI matches. However, his injury has dashed his hopes of participating in the prestigious tournament.
"World Cups bring out the best in one-day cricket, particularly in India," Agar told ESPNcricinfo on August 30. "You never know what pitch you're going to get. But the chances are as a spinner that you'll be playing, and there's a chance that you play two spinners in a lot of the games, particularly if the pitches get tired.
Agar promptly returned home to witness the birth of his child, consequently missing the series against India. However, he remained a valuable member of Australia's squad for the World Cup and was anticipated to rejoin the team for the warm-up matches.
Presently, the Australian team finds itself grappling with yet another challenge, as they have already been plagued by injuries to Travis Head and Nathan Ellis.
Currently, Australia only has Adam Zampa as their primary spinner. However, Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith are also capable of handling spin-friendly pitches. Nevertheless, Australia may feel a bit lacking in this department, as most teams tend to include at least three specialist spinners in their 15-man squad for matches in India.
There are two potential replacements for Agar: leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha and the in-form batter Marnus Labuschagne, who can also contribute with some bowling skills.
Sangha had the opportunity to showcase his talent in the third ODI against India, which was essentially a dead-rubber match. He managed to take the wicket of Ravindra Jadeja, finishing with figures of 1/61. It is worth noting that this was only Sangha's second ODI appearance. In his debut match against South Africa in Potchefstroom, he claimed one wicket for 64 runs.
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