Australia has suffered a massive jolt as batter Grace Harris has been ruled out of the upcoming ICC 50-over World Cup 2025 tournament due to a calf injury. All-rounder Heather Graham has been called up to replace the player for the showpiece event. Harris copped a blow on her calf while fielding in the first ODI against India in Delhi on Saturday.
It was the only match the hard-hitting batter played in the three-match ODI series, having joined the squad as the replacement player for all-rounder Annabel Sutherland, who was ruled out due to hip soreness. Notably, Harris was unlikely to be included in the playing XI for World Cup games, but was a key backup player owing to her lower-order hitting skills.
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The batter could also have been part of the showpiece event due to fellow Aussie players having some injury concerns. Sutherland's hip soreness, Phoebe Litchfield was absent from the last two ODIs due to a quad issue, and Darcie Brown suffered back spasms. Sophie Molineux missed the entire series while recovering from major knee surgery.
Georgia Wareham is coming off a groin and abductor strain that saw her miss The Hundred. Skipper and keeper-batter Alyssa Healy just returned from a major foot problem, but both players played all three ODIs against India. Meanwhile, Graham has featured in just one ODI for Australia back in 2019, but she has been part of several squads since.
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Australia eyes unprecedented seventh World Cup title
Notably, defending champions Australia are overwhelming favorites to win their record seventh 50-over World Cup. They are also coming off a 2-1 ODI series against another contender, India. Australia has most of the bases covered, with batting being their USP. In the last match of the ODI series, they racked up 412. Despite Healy not being in the best of form after recovering from injury, the team still scored massively on the back of Beth Mooney's classy 138.
