Australia's tour of England has hit yet another setback, with fast bowler Xavier Bartlett suffering a side strain during the first T20I in Southampton. Bartlett pulled up mid-way through his final over, adding to Australia's mounting injury woes, as Spencer Johnson and Nathan Ellis are already out due to side and hamstring injuries, respectively.

Bartlett had an eventful start to his spell, overcoming a no-ball controversy that saw Phil Salt momentarily dismissed before the umpire's call reversed it. Despite the initial setback, Bartlett took the wicket of Jordan Cox later in the powerplay and bowled with impressive swing in cold conditions. Skipper Mitchell Marsh, recognizing Bartlett's effectiveness, allowed him to bowl all his four overs consecutively, an uncommon occurrence in T20 cricket. However, Bartlett had to abandon the last two deliveries of his spell due to his injury.

With Bartlett likely ruled out for the remainder of the tour, fast bowler Riley Meredith, who was retained after being initially called up for the Scotland series due to Josh Hazlewood's calf injury, is a strong candidate to replace Bartlett in the second T20I, set to take place in Cardiff. Allrounders Aaron Hardie and Cooper Connolly are also in consideration for the spot.

In light of these injuries, left-armer Ben Dwarshuis is flying to the UK to provide cover ahead of the upcoming ODI series. Dwarshuis, although uncapped in ODIs, has experience from three T20Is and will join the squad, though he hasn't been officially added yet. The selectors are still to finalize a replacement for Nathan Ellis in the ODI squad.