Western Australia pacer Lance Morris cut his left hand at a social event on the evening of November 8, hours after returning figures of 3 for 29 against England.
At the WACA Ground on November 8, 2026, Lance Morris delivered a sharp 10-over spell of 3 for 29, with two maidens, to help Western Australia face England in a one-day tour fixture. That same evening, hours after the final ball was bowled, the right-arm quick cut his left hand at a social event. WA Cricket issued a statement on November 9 confirming that Morris would be assessed by a hand specialist to determine the extent of the injury, and no return-to-play timeline was offered at that point.
The left hand is Morris's non-bowling hand, though the severity of the cut remained unknown pending the specialist review. The 28-year-old had dismissed Tom Banton and Joe Root during his spell and touched speeds of 145 km/h, clear signs that his pace and rhythm had returned. However, the social event that followed the match brought an abrupt halt to what had been a highly encouraging day.
The November 8 fixture was Morris's first professional outing since undergoing lumbar surgery, a comeback that had already been pushed back by a side strain sustained during the late pre-season. In total, he had been away from professional cricket for approximately 18 months before taking the field against England.
What is the current status of Morris's left hand injury?
WA Cricket's November 9 statement confirmed that Morris sustained the cut at a social event on the evening of November 8, following the conclusion of the England tour match. The organisation said he would consult a hand specialist, but no diagnosis or recovery estimate was made public at the time of the announcement.
The injury compounds an already difficult stretch for Morris. Lumbar surgery had kept him out for an extended period, and a pre-season side strain then delayed his return to WA colours further. With the specialist consultation still to take place, the full picture of his availability remains unclear.
Will Morris be available for WA's One-Day Cup fixture against Victoria?
Morris had been pencilled in to play for Western Australia against Victoria in the One-Day Cup on November 16, 2026. His participation in that match now depends entirely on the outcome of the specialist review confirmed by WA Cricket on November 9.
Australia's chair of selectors, George Bailey, had spoken about Morris's return against England before the hand injury became known. Bailey expressed his delight at seeing the pacer back on the field and noted how quickly Morris had found his rhythm and pace during the tour match.
"Just excited and happy to see Lance back playing. I think particularly that latest setback he had just prior to the start of the season, it just felt like just give the man a little bit of luck. But so yeah, great to see him back on on Saturday against against England, and pretty impressed by how quickly he seemed to get back into into his work and bowled good pace and good areas, and got a nice performance outcome. But overall, just really happy to see him back," said Bailey as quoted by Cricinfo.
Since making his Sheffield Shield debut in October 2020, Morris has featured in just 26 first-class matches, a figure that reflects how frequently injury has interrupted his progress at state level.