Youngster Cooper Connolly ruled out of Australia's T20I series against Pakistan due to injury

Young all-rounder Cooper Connolly has been ruled out of Australia's upcoming T20I series against Pakistan after sustaining a fracture in the left hand. In the third ODI against Pakistan on Sunday, while trying to pull away the ball, Connolly took a blow on his hand on the second ball of the 17th over. He faced another delivery before realising the amount of discomfort he was facing. Physios came for a quick assessment, and after the check, he left the field for scans to determine the extent of his injury.

According to ESPNcricinfo, a CA spokesperson confirmed that Connolly sustained a fracture to the fourth metacarpal of the left hand and that he will consult a specialist in Perth on Monday. The spokesperson also stated that a replacement for the T20I series against Pakistan will be named in the coming days. Connolly's injury was salt on Australia's wounds as they ended up losing the series after conceding an 8-wicket defeat.

Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan's captaincy reign was off to a dream start as pacers once again made Aussie batters dance to their tunes. Throughout these three matches, no Australian batter could score even a half-century, a massive low for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup champions. The inexperience in the side clearly showed as the big stars like Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, the pace trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are focusing on their Test series against India at home. Also, Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head, two valuable bats, are also away on paternity leave.

Steven Smith, who did not play the final ODI, was the leading run-scorer for Australia, scoring 79 in two matches at an average of 39.50, with best score of 44. Josh Inglis was the second-highest run-getter for Australia, scoring 74 runs in three matches, registering Australia's best score of 49 in this series. (ANI)