Sharjah, UAE: A horrible fielding mishap is likely to cost Jhye Richardson a spot in Australia's World Cup squad after the young paceman was sent home for scans on a dislocated shoulder.
Richardson suffered the injury while attempting to stop a boundary with a dive during Sunday's ODI between Australia and Pakistan in Sharjah.
The 22-year-old, who was set to be the youngest member of Australia's World Cup squad, landed on his bowling arm and immediately called for assistance.
Sent home: Australian paceman Jhye Richardson has left the UAE with a shoulder injury.Credit:AP
Richardson was in good spirits in the rooms, giving a thumbs-up to the camera then making a point to stay upbeat around teammates after Australia's fifth consecutive ODI win.
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But the right-armer, now in a brace, is unlikely to be fit for for the World Cup unless the prognosis in Perth is incredibly positive.
"It's horrible to see. I hate when people dive and they come back up and you know something's wrong," batsman Usman Khawaja said.
"It makes your stomach sink … he was bowling beautifully.
"He's a good kid. I'm sure he's going to come back much stronger … fingers crossed it's all good. I think it went back in pretty well, pretty easily, so that's always a good sign."
Recovery periods for a dislocated shoulder, the recurring injury Chris Lynn has struggled to manage in recent years, vary greatly.
If Richardson doesn't require surgery and needs only rest, then he may be part of Australia's World Cup defence. But the odds are stacked against the youngster, especially given it's his bowling arm.
Richardson has gone from strength to strength in recent months, impressing on Test debut in Brisbane and forming a potent new-ball pairing with Pat Cummins during the final stages of Australia's recent 3-2 ODI series win in India.
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