After recovering from an injury and returning to the field, experienced pacer Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out once again. He will not play for the rest of the series against India.
In his comeback Test, Hazlewood sustained a new injury during the ongoing Brisbane Test against India. He will not be able to take the field again in this match and his chances of playing in the remaining two matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy are very slim.
On the fourth day of the Brisbane Test on Tuesday, Hazlewood’s discomfort was evident from the start. Before play began, he was seen talking to coach Andrew McDonald and physiotherapist Nick Jones. He entered the field a bit late and bowled only one over, which lacked both pace and rhythm.
After that over, during the water break, he was seen having an extended conversation with captain Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, and the physio. He then left the field and was sent for a scan.
Cricket Australia later confirmed in a statement that Hazlewood had strained his calf muscle during warm-up at the start of the day. The statement also mentioned that the chances of him playing for the remainder of the Test series were very low, and an alternative player would be added to the squad.
Since the 2021-22 Ashes, Hazlewood has missed 18 out of Australia’s 35 Tests due to injury. Recently, however, he had managed to stay injury-free and played ten consecutive Tests before the current series against India. Unfortunately, after playing in the first Test, he was ruled out of the Adelaide Test with a side strain. Now, after returning to Brisbane, he will not be able to complete the match.
Despite losing Hazlewood from their four-man bowling attack, Australia put pressure on India’s batsmen on day four. Unless something dramatic happens, Scott Boland is expected to replace Hazlewood in the playing XI for the remaining two Tests of the series.
