Australia A fast bowler Mitchell Perry will miss his planned County Championship stint with Lancashire after scans confirmed a recurrence of a lumbar bone stress fracture.
The injury was detected following a routine MRI conducted after the Sheffield Shield final, where Perry had featured as an injury substitute. Instead of travelling to the UK, the seamer will now begin a rehabilitation programme managed by his state side, Victoria.
Lancashire will also be without Marcus Harris for their opening Championship fixture against Northampton, which begins on Friday. Harris was involved in the Shield final that concluded on Monday and is expected to return in time for the match against Derbyshire next week.
Reacting to Perry’s absence, Lancashire’s director of cricket performance Mark Chilton said, “We are naturally disappointed that Mitch will be unable to join us this season, particularly at such short notice ahead of the campaign. However, we wish him a full and speedy recovery.”
He added, “We are currently assessing our options with regard to potential replacement players and their availability.”
Lancashire, now coached by former club player Steven Croft, will be captained in the County Championship by James Anderson following a successful spell in the role last season.
Chilton remained positive about the squad’s preparations, stating, “Despite this setback, having recently returned from Desert Springs, where the men’s squad completed an excellent week-long training camp, I have been extremely encouraged by what we have seen over the course of the week. The attitude has been first-class, morale is high, and the two-day inter-squad game was highly competitive. The squad is hungry, motivated, and ready to get the season underway.”
He concluded, “We are excited for the new campaign and determined to build on the progress made during the second half of last year, with Steven Croft leading as head coach and James Anderson as County Championship captain.”
