Perth Scorchers' Shaun Marsh, Alfonso Thomas ruled out of Champions League T20
Shaun Marsh suffered a hamstring injury during Australia's three-wicket defeat to England in their fourth ODI in Cardiff on Saturday, while Alfonso Thomas wasn't released by Somerset, the county he represents.
Shaun Marsh, the top-order batsman, and Alfonso Thomas, the right-arm seamer, have both been ruled out of the Perth Scorchers squad for the Champions League Twenty20 2013.
Schedule | Photos | Points Table | Teams
Marsh suffered a hamstring injury during Australia's three-wicket defeat to England in their fourth One-Day International in Cardiff on Saturday (September 14), and was already slated to miss the fifth and final ODI on Monday. Thomas, meanwhile, wasn't released by Somerset, the county he represents, and will therefore have to miss out.
Marsh joins his brother Mitchell, who also suffered a hamstring injury earlier this month and had to be ruled out of the CLT20.
Marcus North, the veteran left-hand batsman, and Joe Mennie, the young right-arm pacer, were named as replacements for Marsh and Thomas, the franchise announced on Monday.
"It is obviously disappointing not to have Alfonso available, however, it is not unexpected and is part of the landscape of Twenty20 cricket," said Ben Oliver, the general manager of cricket operations, on the Perth Scorchers website. "In saying this, it is a great opportunity for Joe, who is a talented young bowler who performed well for us in last year's CLT20 tournament.
"Marcus is a proven performer at the international level and we welcome his experience back into the side. He was unlucky to miss initial selection in the squad, but has returned from the UK in good form and we look forward to him contributing to what we hope will be a successful Champions League campaign."
The Scorchers will play their first match against Highveld Lions in a Group A clash on September 23 in Ahmedabad. As part of their preparations for the tournament, the side spent a week in Darwin acclimatising to conditions that are similar to those expected in India.
Perth Scorchers: Simon Katich (capt), Ashton Agar, Michael Beer, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Burt Cockley, Liam Davis, Brad Hogg, Joe Mennie, Marcus North, Joel Paris, Tom Triffitt (wk), Ashton Turner, Adam Voges, Sam Whiteman.