Chadd Sayers has firmed as Jackson Bird’s possible replacement for the tour of South Africa, with national coach Darren Lehmann endorsing the South Australian seamer as the “logical” man to replace Bird.
Sayers, 30, the leading wicket-taker in last summer’s Sheffield Shield, was controversially overlooked for the initial squad for the four-Test series, but Bird’s hamstring injury playing for Tasmania on the weekend has put Sayers back in the frame.
Bird is being monitored early this week, with a decision in coming days on whether he needs to be replaced.
But Lehmann said Sayers, who is yet to win a baggy green despite being around the mark for two years, would make sense to fill Bird’s spot as a back-up seamer in the touring party.
"Jackson's being assessed by the medical staff today so we'll make a call on that in the next 24 hours and see how he goes," Lehmann said on the Cricket Australia website.
"We'll replace him if required. The logical (replacement) is probably Chadd Sayers, but we'll sit as a selection panel and work that out.
"We'd like a fully fit squad to go into a tough tour. So if he is to tour, we want him playing the tour game."
Sayers went wicketless at the weekend as the Redbacks lost to Victoria at Adelaide Oval.
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The Australian squad, which departs on Thursday, already contains frontline quicks Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, as well as uncapped West Australian tearaway Jhye Richardson.
The first Test begins in Durban on March 1, with a three-day warm-up match in Benoni starting on February 22.
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