Australia captain Michael Clarke re-injured his left hamstring while batting on Friday and withdrew immediately from the series-opening limited-overs international against South Africa.
Clarke was out for 11, caught behind when he gloved an attempted pull shot off Dale Steyn’s bowling, and slowly left the field.
Cricket Australia later announced Clarke had injured the hamstring, a long-standing problem that forced his early departure from a tri-series in Zimbabwe earlier this year. He was due to have scans on Saturday and was in doubt for the remainder of the five-match series.
Australia starts a test series against India on December 4 in Brisbane. Vice-captain Brad Haddin has been ruled out of the ODI series against South Africa due to a shoulder injury.