Injury-ravaged Australia suffered yet another blow after all-rounder James Hopes was ruled out of the remainder of the ODI series against India. Cricket Australia on Sunday said Hopes will return home to continue his recovery from a right hamstring injury he suffered during the first match at Vadodara.

Hopes’ exit comes as a big setback for Australia, having already lost pacer Brett Lee and wicketkeeper Tim Paine to injuries. Both have already returned home.

CA’s National Selection Panel has named pacer Clinton McKay, who impressed for Victoria Bushrangers during the inaugural Champions League Twenty20, as Lee’s replacement. McKay will join the Australian squad in Hyderabad ahead of the fifth ODI.

New South Wales all-rounder Moises Henriques, who joined the team ahead of the third ODI in New Delhi on Saturday night, will continue to remain with the squad for remainder of the series.

“James has done everything he can with medical staff to make himself available for the remaining games of the tour. However, due to compressed nature of this tour and his speed of recovery we feel now we have insufficient time to have James fully fit to take part in the remaining games of this series,” Australia physio Kevin Sims said in a CA statement.

“Therefore, a decision has been made that James will return to Australia where he will continue his rehabilitation from this hamstring injury,” he said. NSP chairman Andrew Hilditch said, “With injuries to Brett Lee and James and both of them returning to Australia, the NSP has taken the opportunity to add another bowler to the squad in Clinton McKay.

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