Australia all-rounder Mitchell Owen has been ruled out for the rest of the white-ball series against South Africa after suffering a concussion from a Kagiso Rabada bouncer.
Cricket Australia confirmed on Thursday that the Tasmanian passed an initial sideline assessment during the 53-run defeat in the second T20I in Darwin on 12 August but later developed concussion symptoms. Under mandatory protocols, Owen will serve a 12-day stand-down period, ruling him out of Saturday’s series decider in Cairns and denying him the chance of a potential debut in the subsequent ODI series.
Australia will also be without batter Matt Short and fast bowler Lance Morris for the ODIs, with Short sidelined by a side strain and Morris returning to Perth for further assessment after reporting lower back soreness. They have been replaced by all-rounder Aaron Hardie and left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann.
The T20I series is currently level at 1-1, with Australia having won the opener in Darwin by 17 runs.