Josh Hazlewood cleared from injury however Abbott ruled out of Test

Josh Hazlewood cricket action

The bowler has claimed 295 international wickets with an average of 24.21 during his 76-Test career

Published recently

Hazlewood received clearance to become part of Australia's squad ahead of the opening Ashes match post-injury worries, however, teammate Sean Abbott is unavailable

Each encountered hamstring injuries during their match for New South Wales against Victoria in domestic cricket this past Wednesday

Tests indicated the 34-year-old Hazlewood avoided a muscle strain. The 33-year-old Abbott, yet to debut, sustained a moderate-level injury

Team captain Cummins is unavailable for the first Test, commencing later this month, meaning the absence of another experienced fast bowler in Hazlewood could have proven a major blow

The bowler stood unlikely to play in Perth, as Hazlewood prepares to team up Starc and Boland forming the fast bowling unit

Cummins, currently healing from spinal concerns, is thought to be on track to return for the Brisbane match commencing December fourth

Batter Steve Smith takes over leadership in Cummins' absence

Like many of the Australia players, Hazlewood participated in the current round of Sheffield Shield matches in preparation for the England series

Prior to recently, he had not played domestic first-class games for New South Wales since last season

He experienced stiffness in his hamstring towards the end of Victoria's second innings recently and left the field taking preventive measures

The two bowlers came out to bat during their team's second batting effort during their defeat by 300 runs

"We have one week from the Test series - we consistently choose the side of caution," commented Cummins

"They wanted to find out the nature of the problem before pushing it and possibly causing the condition"

"Uncommon to see him cheerful, so it was good observing his positive demeanor"

"He's aware of his condition thoroughly. It seemed he felt slightly anxious (and desired medical assessment"

The bowler collected 57 caps for Australia in ODI and T20 cricket

Without Test experience Brendan Doggett represents additional pace options within the team, offering support to Starc, Boland and Hazlewood

Fernando Phillips
Fernando Phillips

A seasoned entrepreneur and productivity coach with over a decade of experience in helping individuals maximize their potential and scale their ventures.