Turner set for further shoulder surgery to boost Australia chances
The Australian batsman has been struggling in the field and unable to bowl since late last year and will have another operation in July
ESPNcricinfo staff
30-Apr-2019
In an ODI in Mohali in March, Ashton Turner's 43-ball 84 helped Australia chase down 359 • Getty Images
Ashton Turner will undergo another shoulder operation following Australia A's tour of the UK in a bid to further his chances of reclaiming a place in the Australia line-up, after he missed out on the World Cup.
In a wide-ranging interview with ESPNcricinfo, Turner said that he has been severely restricted in the field over the past four months due to his shoulder problem that flared during the BBL. He has not been able to throw with much velocity and has not bowled his offspin in a match since December 22 last year.
Turner was in the mix for a World Cup berth after his stunning performance for Australia in Mohali but his limitations in the field ultimately saw him miss out on the final 15 after he wasn't selected for any games against Pakistan on Australia's recent tour of the UAE.
"Realistically, being a bit limited with my shoulder and what I can contribute outside of my batting probably cost me an opportunity to play in the UAE series," Turner said. "I'm going to have surgery [on his troublesome right shoulder] in a couple of months. Missing out on the World Cup squad has only motivated me more to want to get back there, because being a part of that Australian side was such a great experience. That's where I want to be."
Turner was selected in the Australia A squad for the five-match limited-overs leg of the tour of the UK that runs concurrently with the World Cup. After that he will have another operation when he returns home to Australia in July in the hope to be fit for the start of the Australian domestic summer.
"I've had a couple of operations before but the results haven't been as good as we'd hoped," Turner said. "So I'm having a slightly different operation, which is probably a bit more sturdy than the one I've had before.
"I'll probably be out for three months after that and be ready for the Australian home summer. Lots of things were taken into consideration about the timing of the operation. I've known since Boxing Day last year, when I injured it, that I was going to have to get something done again. This is the best time for me to have it. And certainly the T20 World Cup [in 2020] and the home summer were high on the agenda of things I needed to be fit and available for selection for."