September 24, 2007	Monday	Ramazan 11, 1428

JOHANNESBURG, Sept 23: Left-handed batsman Michael Hussey will not be touring India with Australia after injuring his hamstring in the Twenty20 World Championship semi-final in Durban on Saturday, team management announced on Sunday.

Hussey will return home when the rest of the team leave for India on Tuesday.

“Mike Hussey has strained his left hamstring and that will keep him out of the Indian series. He will continue to be assessed over the next 48 hours in South Africa before returning home to continue his rehabilitation,” Australia physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said.

Meanwhile, Queensland all-rounder James Hopes has been named as the replacement for Shane Watson, who returned to Australia on Friday after also straining his hamstring in the tournament.

“James Hopes has performed extremely well during Australia ‘A’s recent tour of Pakistan and will now have a chance to impress on the India tour,” selection panel chairman Andrew Hilditch said.

The statement also said that paceman Nathan Bracken had been given leave to attend the birth of his first child and would join the rest of the squad in India as soon as possible.

India leg-spinner Piyush Chawla will also miss the one-day series against Australia because of an ankle injury, an Indian board official said on Sunday.

Chawla was named in the 15-man squad along with off-spinners Harbhajan Singh and Ramesh Powar for the first three ODIs in the seven-match series which begins on Saturday.—Reuters