Australia fast bowler Hazlewood is ruled out of the first Ashes test against England
PERTH, Australia (AP) — Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood will miss at least the first Ashes test against England beginning in Perth next Friday due to a hamstring injury.
Initial scans cleared him of major damage, but Cricket Australia said on Saturday that a follow-up scan confirmed the strain. He will join captain Pat Cummins on the sidelines for the Perth test, severely depleting Australia’s fast bowling attack in the Ashes opener.
Brendan Doggett is poised for an Ashes test debut after secondary scans revealed the extent of Hazlewood’s injury. Hazlewood suffered the strain on Wednesday while playing a Sheffield Shield domestic first-class match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Hazlewood will remain at home, rather than joining teammates on the flight to Perth. It is unclear when or whether he will be fit enough to feature in the five-test series.
It means the hosts will enter the high-profile series without their two highest-ranked test bowlers, with Cummins and Hazlewood currently fourth and sixth in international test rankings.
It will mark the first time in nearly three years that Australia has played a test without two of their top three fast bowlers and only the second time since 2014 they’ve played a home test without Cummins and Hazlewood.
Test squad member Sean Abbott is also sidelined, having suffered a hamstring setback on the same day during the same game as Hazlewood.
“Initial scans Wednesday were clear of muscle strain, however follow-up imaging today has confirmed the injury,” a CA statement on Saturday said. “Early imaging can occasionally underestimate low-grade muscle injuries.”
The bad news on Hazlewood came on the same day that England had some good news — fast bowler Mark Wood has been cleared of a hamstring injury and could play in the first test.
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