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McGrath ruled out of ODI series against Bangladesh

Glenn McGrath has been ruled out of the three-match one-day series against Bangladesh by an ankle injury that physiotherapist Errol Alcott said was caused by a loose fragment of bone near the back of the ankle joint

Wisden CricInfo staff
31-Jul-2003
Glenn McGrath has been ruled out of the three-match one-day series against Bangladesh by an ankle injury that physiotherapist Errol Alcott said was caused by a loose fragment of bone near the back of the ankle joint. Brad Williams has been named as McGrath's replacement.
McGrath will undergo surgery in Sydney on 1 August and released for rehabilitation work the next day, and a Cricket Australia press release said that "his progress from injury will be reviewed in the lead-up to the Test series against Zimbabwe in October."
Dr Trefor James, Cricket Australia Medical Officer, said the surgery would present an opportunity to arrest the injury which has caused McGrath discomfort for much of his international career. "Glenn's ankle has been a problem area for a period of time, but over the years we have been able to monitor and control the injury without the need for surgery," Dr James said. "However it has now reached a point where the specialist believes the most appropriate course of action for Glenn is surgery and hopefully that means dealing with the problem once and for all."
"It's his left ankle, and the pain has increased over the last few days," Alcott said. "It was particularly uncomfortable in the last two days of the (second) Test. The joint's a bit angry at the moment."
McGrath acknowledged that his recent spate of injury breaks were worrying him. "I've always said that if I keep playing, the body gets used to it and I'm fine, but getting back into it can sometimes be a worry," McGrath said. "The back injury during the Ashes was a bit strange, but we've got on top of that now ... and then with what Jane and I went through at start of the West Indies. You can't plan for that. And then this now ..."
McGrath and Alcott believed that the injury originated during his high school basketball days, with a severe sprain pulling some bone of the ankle and leaving the fragment to float around in the joint. McGrath has always put up with varying degrees of pain in the joint and has coped by taping the ankle. "It's been an ongoing thing," said McGrath, "but hopefully now we get on top of it while we can and be ready for when the season starts properly."
Upon learning of his selection, Williams said: "Obviously I am disappointed for Glenn, because I know how much he enjoys playing cricket for Australia, but for me, these opportunities don't come around very often."
"I am thrilled that the selectors have seen fit to pick me, and should I get the opportunity to take part in any match during the series, I am going to grab it with both hands," he said.
Cairns will host the first two ODIs, on 2 and 3 August, while the final ODI will be played at Darwin on 6 August.