Injured Marsh to return home

Shaun Marsh, the Australian opening batsman, will return home to Australia after injuring his left hamstring during the first ODI against Pakistan in Dubai on Wednesday. Marcus North, the Western Australia batsman who is currently with Hampshire, will replace Marsh for the remainder of the series which includes four more ODIs and a Twenty20.

Marsh was on 4 when he attempted a sharp single to mid-on and pulled his left hamstring while diving at the crease. He resumed his innings with Nathan Haurtiz as a runner before falling for 16. The injury was to the same troublesome hamstring that kept him out of the recent tour of South Africa.

"Shaun has undergone scans this morning in Dubai which have shown a recurrence of the left hamstring injury he suffered during the Australian summer," Trefor James, the Australian team doctor, said. "The injury means Shaun is unavailable for selection in any of the remaining games in the United Arab Emirates and therefore a decision has been made to send him home immediately in order to begin his recovery.

"Shaun's recovery process will be monitored over the next two weeks before any decision can be made on his availability for the upcoming ICC World Twenty in the United Kingdom."

Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said it was a huge setback for Marsh but a good opportunity for North, given his all-round talents. "This is very disappointing for Shaun particularly given how hard he was worked in his recovery from the previous injury. While Marcus has been chosen primarily as a top-order batsman, his offspin bowling will come in particularly handy in the conditions the team will face both in Dubai and Abu Dhabi."

North is currently in England as Hampshire's overseas player but will leave the current Championship match against Warwickshire and head to Dubai. He hit the headlines when he made a hundred on Test debut in Johannesburg against South Africa in February.