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JOHANNESBURG: Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of the fourth Test against South Africa as well as the Indian Premier League because of a stress fracture in his lower right leg.
Captain Tim Paine said at the toss on Friday that Starc had been “battling some injuries throughout the tour” and had been rested from the final Test.
But Cricket Australia’s website later stated that his injury was a stress fracture and that he would fly home after the Test for further assessment.
Starc had been signed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the IPL, which starts on April 7.
He is the third high-profile Australian to be ruled out of the lucrative tournament following the cancelation of the contracts of Steve Smith and David Warner, both banned by Cricket Australia for their part in the ball tampering controversy during the South African Test series.
Starc was man of the match in the first Test in Durban but only took three wickets for 304 runs in the next two Tests.
It is understood that in accordance with the Player Regulations, KKR will now be allowed to choose a replacement from the Registered and Available Player Pool. Two-time champions KKR open their IPL 2018 campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 8.