Australian speedster Josh Hazlewood was ruled out of the first Ashes Test against England at Perth, starting on November 21, due to a hamstring injury.
The 34-year-old was representing New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield clash against Victoria and had walked off the field after Steve Smith’s recommendation to do so, after he informed the 36-year-old about feeling a bit of tightness in his hamstring.
“He [Hazlewood] literally bowled his last ball and I looked at him and said, ‘how are you going?’ He’s like, ‘I’m a bit tight in my hamstring.’ I was like, ‘Get off the field. Disappear. You’re done, go and figure it out.’ Smith had said.
Initial scans had cleared him of any major injury, but further medical examinations revealed that Hazlewood had sustained a muscle strain. The lanky pacer’s absence from the match will mean the hosts will be without him and regular captain Pat Cummins for the Perth Test.
Michael Neser was included in the squad with Hazlewood not travelling to the Western Australian capital later this week.
“Initial scans Wednesday were clear of muscle strain, however, follow-up imaging today has confirmed the injury. Early imaging can occasionally underestimate low-grade muscle injuries,” a Cricket Australia statement said.
Hazlewood did not feature in three out of the five Tests against India last year, initially due to a side strain and later because of a calf injury.
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His absence could force Australia to hand a debut to Brendan Doggett and put extra load on the likes of Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland to work with Nathan Lyon in dislodging 20 English wickets.
Australia have played only two home Tests without both Cummins and Hazlewood in their playing XI since 2014. The first instance came against England in 2021 and the second against the West Indies in 2022. In both instances, Neser was included in the playing XI.
