Jhye Richardson has made peace with the bitter disappointment of being ruled out of the World Cup due to the dislocated shoulder he suffered against Pakistan in the UAE and now has his sights set on returning for the Ashes tour later in the year.
Jhye picked up the injury diving on the boundary during the second ODI in Sharjah and though he avoided needing surgery, the time has run out on him to be ready for the World Cup. Since Australia went into camp in Brisbane, it has looked unlikely he would recover having not yet resumed bowling although right up the moment of being ruled out he remained positive about the prognosis.
His next target is to be able available to join the Australia A tour of England which runs concurrent to the latter part of the World Cup and the build-up to the Ashes in a bid to make the Test squad for the series which starts on August 1. Kane Richardson has been called up to Australia's 15-man World Cup squad in his place.
"If I'm going to be brutally honest, it hasn't been that easy to accept," Jhye said before leaving Australia's camp in Brisbane to return to Perth. "World Cups don't come around every day, so it's been tough. I've got the right people around me. The guys are fantastic, they've been really supportive every step of the way. I've done everything I can, it just wasn't meant to be and I'm at peace with it.
"It helps a lot to know there is something just as big around the corner and to have that to aim for it puts a lot of clarity in my mind. I'll do everything I can to get up for firstly the Australia A tour and then the Ashes.
His World Cup absence is a blow for Australia with him having made an impressive return to the Australia one-day side during the home summer. In his young ODI career, he has taken 24 wickets in 12 matches so far at an average of 26.33.
"This is obviously very disappointing news for the team and for Jhye, who has been exceptional throughout his rehabilitation process," David Beakley, Australia's physiotherapist, said. "After his most recent assessment and attempting to bowl in the nets, it was clear that Jhye was not progressing as fast as required and therefore, in consultation with selectors, we made the decision to withdraw him from the squad."
Jhye added: "I honestly thought I could get up and I was determined to do everything I could. It was always going to be touch and go, we knew that from the day I did it. I was optimistic all the way through even though bowling wasn't going the way I would have liked. I still thought I had a chance. Even though people around me were telling me it wasn't going as well as they would have liked, I was trying to keep positive."
He also insisted he would have no doubts about throwing himself around the outfield again in the future even if it risked another injury. "That's the way I want to play my cricket. I want to be able to put my body on the line, that's what it means to me, and if I get injured doing so then so be it. I can accept that. If I'm trying to save runs for the team and do everything I can then that's the way I want to go about it and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again."
For his namesake, Kane, the World Cup call-up completes a notable one-day comeback having drifted out of the reckoning until a prolific BBL - where he was the leading wicket-taker - earned him another chance, firstly for the India tour, which he was then ruled out of with injury, and then the Pakistan series in the UAE where he played two matches.
He was wicketless in the opening match against the New Zealand XI in Brisbane but was named for the second match.
He has been called up ahead of Josh Hazlewood who was the other quick confirmed as a reserve when the squad was named last month. Hazlewood has been out of action since the final Test against India in early January but was bowling off a full run and at a good pace in the nets on Wednesday.
Sean Abbott and Michael Neser, who are both part of the Australia A squad, were included in the Australian XII for the second practice match at Allan Border Field, while Mitchell Starc got his first outing since the final Test against Sri Lanka when he suffered a pectoral injury.