Australian star quick bowler Mitchell Starc is under an injury cloud to play in the remainder of the Boxing Day Test against South Africa after being sent for scans on a middle finger injury on his bowling hand.
Starc left the field during the final session on Monday at the MCG after attempting a difficult diving catch, with the full extent of the setback unclear. He later returned to the field but did not bowl in the rest of the session.
However close friend and teammate Nathan Lyon admitted the 32-year fast bowler’s injury “doesn’t look the greatest”.
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“Not ideal, I don’t think,” Lyon said of Star’s finger injury to cricket.com.au. “He’s popped off for a scan now. Fingers crossed we can get the best possible result with his scan.
“I don‘t know what he’s technically done, but it doesn’t look the greatest.
“He went out the back and tried to bowl, but I think it (felt) a bit different to be honest.
“Unfortunately, injuries are part of the game … all we can hope for is he gets the best possible result with the scan – he‘s there as we speak.”
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Starc, who last week became the seventh Australian bowler to reach 300 test wickets, returned to the field but didn’t bowl as young gun allrounder Cameron Green cleaned up South Africa’s tail as the Proteas were all out for 189.
Australia goes into day two full of confidence after a maiden five-wicket haul from Green put the hosts in a commanding position.
Green ended with career-best bowling figures of 5-27 from 10.4 overs to cap off a big few days for the 23-year old after becoming Australia’s most expensive player ever brought at an IPL auction at $3 million for Mumbai Indians.
David Warner got Australia off to a promising start with the bat, with 32 runs at stumps as it trailed South Africa by 144 runs with nine wickets remaining.
Milestone man Warner is chasing his first red-ball century for almost three years in his 100th Test.
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Australia XI: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
South Africa XI: Dean Elgar (c), Sarel Erwee, Theunis de Bruyn, Temba Bavuma, Khaya Zondo, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi
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