Australia suffered a major blow after their humiliating defeat in the ODI series against Pakistan as all-rounder Cooper Connolly has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series.

Connolly fractured his left hand after being struck by Mohammad Hasnain while batting in the series-deciding third ODI in Perth yesterday.

The 21-year-old all-rounder was forced to retire hurt and did not return to the field due to the injury. He underwent scans which revealed the fracture, which ruled him out of the three-match T20I series against Pakistan.

Cricket Australia (CA) in an official statement revealed that Cooper Connolly has sustained a fracture to his fourth metacarpal.

Meanwhile, the hosts have announced wicket-keeper Josh Philippe as Connolly’s replacement in the squad for the T20I series.

For the unversed, Pakistan, under newly-appointed captain Mohammad Rizwan, defeated Australia in the third ODI by eight wickets on Sunday in Perth to win their first series Down Under since 2002.

The visitors lost the first match of the three-match series by two wickets, however, they staged an impressive comeback to win the series 2-1.

The teams will now face each other in the first T20I on November 14 in Brisbane, with the next matches scheduled for November 16 and 18 in Sydney and Hobart, respectively.

Squads for Pakistan-Australia T20I series

Australia: Josh Inglis (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Josh Philippe, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Pakistan: Muhammad Rizwan (c), Abbas Afridi, Agha Salman, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Khan.

Cricket Australia has unveiled a 14-member squad for the upcoming three-match One Day International (ODI) series against Pakistan, which is set to kick off at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on November 4.

With Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head ruled out of the series due to paternity leave, Pat Cummins has returned to the side as captain along with Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short as openers, the board said on Monday.

The Green Shirts are set to take on the Kangaroos in three ODIs followed by a three-match T20I series scheduled from November 14 to 18 after the culmination of the ODI series with the second and third 50-over games on November 8 and November 10 at the Adelaide Oval, and Perth Stadium, respectively.

Australian chief selector George Bailey, as reported by the AFP, said: “This is our last ODI series before the Champions Trophy (in Pakistan) and the balance of the squad was focused on that as well as continuing to focus on the preparation of individuals for the upcoming Test summer.”

“We view this as an opportunity to expand on that achievement in preparation for next February in Pakistan,” he added while referring to the Champions Trophy set to be hosted by Pakistan next year.

Apart from Marsh and Head, Cameron Green has also not made it to the squad as the 25-year-old all-rounder will be undergoing surgery due to a back stress fracture which will rule him out for six months, said Cricket Australia in a statement.

Meanwhile, Cummins — who missed the white-ball tour of England and Scotland to rest — will be once again leading the team in the 50-over format for the first time since winning the World Cup 2023.

It is to be noted that the squad for the T20I series will be announced at a later date.

Australia squad

Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa