Aussie cricketer returns home after monkey scratch

Australia's Jake Fraser-McGurk is set to return home from the ICC Under-19 World Cup in South Africa after being scratched on the face by a monkey.

The incident involving the 17-year-old happened during a team outing at a nature reserve.

He will go back to Australia for precautionary medical treatment.

"I guess it serves me right for getting too close to the animal enclosure. That's a lesson learned," said Fraser-McGurk.

"I look forward to completing the treatment and getting back on the field as soon as possible."

Australia were knocked out of the tournament after a quarter-final defeat by India but face two more matches to determine their ranking at the next U19 World Cup.

"We want to make sure that Jake doesn't have any ongoing medical concerns as a result of the incident so we have taken the best course of action," said Alex Kountouris, Cricket Australia's sports science and sports medicine manager.

"This involves the player returning to Australia for the treatment required within the recommended seven days of the incident taking place." _Agencies

Dhaka/AKA