Injury Blow: Cooper Connolly Out of T20I Series Against Pakistan

Australian all-rounder Cooper Connolly will miss the T20I series against Pakistan due to a fracture in his left hand, sustained during the third ODI. Australia's struggles continue as they lost the series without any player scoring a half-century, highlighting the absence of key players focusing on Test commitments.

Young all-rounder Cooper Connolly has been ruled out of Australia's upcoming T20I series against Pakistan due to a fracture in his left hand. Connolly sustained the injury in the third ODI against Pakistan on Sunday after pulling away the ball and taking a blow in the 17th over.

After realizing his discomfort, Connolly faced just one more delivery before physios conducted a swift assessment. Following an evaluation, he left the field to get scans, revealing a fracture to the fourth metacarpal of his left hand. As reported by ESPNcricinfo, a Cricket Australia spokesperson confirmed that Connolly will consult a specialist in Perth for further advice.

Australia's loss is compounded as they suffered an 8-wicket defeat, losing the series, and without stars like Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith, who are prepping for the Test series against India. With Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head on paternity leave, the inexperience is evident. Pakistan's captain, Mohammad Rizwan, has made a strong start, with his pacers dominating and no Australian batters reaching a half-century in the series.

(With inputs from agencies.)