Top-order batsman Shaun Marsh is returning home from Australia's tour of Sri Lanka with a broken little finger. "Shaun suffered an injury to his left little finger whilst fielding," physiotherapist David Beakley said after Australia took a 2-1 lead in the five-match ODI series Sunday. "An X-ray after the match confirmed a fracture and Shaun will now return to Perth to allow time for this to heal." Cricket Australia selectors confirmed Usman Khawaja would replace Marsh in the squad for the two T20 internationals against Sri Lanka. Khawaja has been with the ODI squad on the south Asian island. Pace bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile was forced home from the one-day series last week with a bone stress injury to his back. NZ to keep trialing D/N first-class cricket New Zealand Cricket appears to be pushing ahead with plans to trial day-night first class matches as it builds toward hosting its inaugural pink ball home Test against England in 2018. NZC released its 2016-17 domestic fixture list Tuesday and Wellington Regional Stadium, which has never hosted a first class match and has been used solely for day-night limited-overs international cricket, is to host one of the Plunket Shield games scheduled to begin on March 6. Auckland's Eden Park and Hamilton's Seddon Park, both of which have lights, will also host matches starting on March 6. All three games have not had their start times confirmed, while every other Plunket Shield match in the 2016-17 season has a traditional start time of 10:30 a.m. (2130 GMT). Only one of the other venues scheduled to host first class cricket this season, Napier's McLean Park, has lights. All of the Plunket Shield matches there are scheduled as day games. NZC has said it hoped to play its first day-night Test match at home against England in 2018. New Zealand played Australia in the inaugural day-night Test in Adelaide last year and while the ball swung appreciably and batsmen said they found it difficult to see after twilight, administrators felt the interest generated had been sufficient to continue to explore the concept. Next year's Plunket Shield matches should give NZC the opportunity to test the conditions likely to be faced by both sides in 2018, with the England tour penciled in for mid-February to late March. Eden Park has been designated the first Test on that tour, with the second at Christchurch's Hagley Oval, which does not have lights.
