Young Pacer Callum Vidler Ruled Out of India A Series with Back Fracture

After Test skipper Pat Cummins and speedster Lance Morris, Australia has been hit with another injury blow. Young Queensland fast bowler Callum Vidler, just 19, has picked up a partial stress fracture in his back. The setback means he will miss the upcoming white-ball series against India A, beginning on September 30.

Callum Vidler last played professional cricket in the Sheffield Shield 2024-25 final against South Australia in March. He took five wickets in the match, with four coming in one innings, though his team ended up losing. Among his wickets were Australia’s Test players Nathan McSweeny and wicketkeeper Alex Carey. Vidler recently turned out for Valley in the T20 Max in Queensland, where his team went on to win the tournament.

Vidler sidelined with back fracture, to undergo rehab

But just last week, scans showed that the 19-year-old has a small fracture in his L3 vertebra. Vidler was part of Australia's Under-19 World Cup 2024-winning squad. In the final against Uday Saharan-led India Under-19, he got the wickets of opener Arshin Kulkarni and Murugan Abhishek. From 10 overs, he conceded 35 runs, bowled two maidens and picked up a couple of wickets.

Queensland general manager of high performance Joe Dawes said that Vidler is disappointed to miss out on the India tour. 

"Callum experienced some back pain during training and promptly reported it. Unfortunately, the scans came back confirming a stress fracture so he will spend some time recovering and then start a rehab plan. He's naturally very disappointed but accepts that injuries are part of the game. We'll work closely with him to ensure he has the best recovery to get him ready for a return to cricket," Dawes said.

Who will replace Vidler?

With Vidler ruled out, Henry Thornton will stay on for the three white-ball games. Thornton had come in as a replacement for Brody Couch, who himself was brought in after Morris was injured. The one-day series is set to begin on September 30, following the two multi-day matches.

Australia A one-day squad: Cooper Connolly, Harry Dixon, Jack Edwards, Sam Elliott, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Mackenzie Harvey, Todd Murphy, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Lachie Shaw, Tom Straker, Will Sutherland, Henry Thornton.

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