Sydney: All-rounder James Faulkner has been ruled out of Australia's Test tour of South Africa with a knee injury and is due to have surgery on Tuesday, cricket chiefs said. Australia, full of confidence after an unchanged XI whitewashed England 5-0 in the Ashes, are also sweating on batsman Shaun Marsh, who has a calf strain, and the fitness of paceman Jackson Bird.


James Faulkner 

Marsh will not travel to South Africa as scheduled but will remain in Perth for further treatment, before a decision is taken on whether he will join the tour. Bird will also stay in Australia and return to bowling to determine if he has recovered sufficiently from back problems.