Neser was bowling his 13th over, having taken 4 for 27 with impressive swing and seam in the morning session, when he stopped abruptly after his second delivery of the over. He immediately began to hobble off the ground in a clear sign that he knew exactly what the problem was.
A cricket Australia spokesperson confirmed shortly afterwards that Neser had injured his left hamstring and would not bowl again in the game. Scans will be carried out to assess the extent of the damage.
It is understood Neser had experienced some soreness in the same left hamstring after the last Sheffield Shield match he played on October 23 when he bowled 48.5 overs for Queensland against South Australia. That pain ruled him out of the domestic One-Day Cup match against South Australia two days later.
He returned to training without problems after a short break and was good in the lead-up to this match. But the fast bowlers have struggled with the MCG outfield this season as it was covered with sand following the Australian Football League season.
Neser also came into the summer after an injury in the winter. He suffered a calf injury while playing in England and was restricted from bowling during pre-season until the first Shield match of the summer in Perth.
He was unlikely to be in Australia’s Test squad for the first Test in Perth against India, with Scott Boland set to be the only quick substitute in what is expected to be a 13-man group. But there was an expectation that Neser might be needed at some point during the series. There is a nine-day break between the first two Tests, but Australia fears there will only be a three-day gap between the second and third Tests in Adelaide and Brisbane. There is a seven-day break between the third and fourth tests and then another three-day break between the fourth and fifth tests.
