Melbourne [Australia], November 7 : Weeks before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), Australia suffered a setback as seasoned medium-pacer Michael Neser sustained an injury on Thursday during the second unofficial Test between India A and Australia A in Melbourne.
Neser, a familiar name in Australian cricket, picked up a hamstring injury after delivering an impactful spell with the new ball, which left India A struggling on the opening day.
The 34-year-old dismissed four of India A's top five batters, leaving them at 64/5. He eventually limped off the field while bowling his 13th over of the innings.
Due to this recent setback, Neser is now unavailable to bowl in the ongoing unofficial Test. Notably, he had also suffered a hamstring issue during his outing with Queensland in the Domestic One-Day Cup last month.
Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sai Sudharsan were dismissed off consecutive deliveries in the opening over. India A captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and the in-form Devdutt Padikkal followed shortly after, contributing to India's dismissal for 161. Before leaving the field, Neser ended with impressive figures of 4/27 in 12.2 overs.
Though Neser has made only two Test appearances for Australia, his impact on the domestic circuit is well-regarded.
Australia has yet to announce its squad for the five-Test series, with the first Test starting on November 22 in Perth. The Baggy Greens will be hopeful for Neser's swift recovery ahead of this key ICC World Test Championship series against India.
In his 107 First-Class appearances, Neser has claimed 374 wickets at an average of 24.18, with a strike rate of 51.1.
The second unofficial Test will continue on Friday, with Australia A aiming to find stability after being reduced to 53/2, trailing by 108 runs.
Australia A Playing Eleven: Marcus Harris, Sam Konstas, Cameron Bancroft, Nathan McSweeney (C), Beau Webster, Oliver Davies, Jimmy Peirson (WK), Michael Neser, Nathan McAndrew, Scott Boland, Corey Rocchiccioli.
India A Playing Squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Sai Sudharsan, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Nitish Reddy, Tanush Kotian, Khaleel Ahmed, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar.