Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has pulled out of the tour of Zimbabwe with an ankle injury and has been replaced by Phil Hughes.

The injury-prone Watson sprained an ankle after stepping on a ball during training in Brisbane yesterday, Cricket Australia said.

“Shane today sprained his right ankle at training, damaging a liga­ment,” team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said in a statement.

“His ankle is swollen and sore, but expected to recover with a pe­riod of rest.

“Due to the compact nature of the tour, we’ve made a decision that Shane would be unlikely to recover sufficiently in time for the series.

“He will return to Sydney in the coming days to continue his recov­ery and be ready for the tour of the United Arab Emirates.”

Chief selector Rod Marsh said Hughes was the natural replace­ment for Watson.

“As I’ve said previously, Phil was unlucky not to be picked in the ini­tial squad after showing some great form in the Australia A series and was the natural choice to come in for Shane,” Marsh said.

“The selection panel is very hap­py with the bowling depth in the squad but Watson’s absence has meant another top order batsman is necessary.”

The team leaves on Wednes­day for a triangular one-day series against Zimbabwe and South Africa in Zimbabwe starting August 25.