Hazlewood given the all-clear from injury but Sean Abbott out of Ashes Test

Josh Hazlewood cricket action

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

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Hazlewood received clearance to become part of the Aussie lineup for the initial Test against England post-injury worries, although compatriot Abbott is unavailable

Each encountered hamstring issues while representing their state team in the Victoria clash in the Sheffield Shield on Wednesday

Scans showed the 34-year-old Hazlewood avoided muscle damage. The uncapped Abbott, 33, suffered a moderate-level injury

Team captain Cummins is unavailable for the first Test, beginning on 21 November, so the loss of another established pace bowler in Hazlewood would have been a serious concern

The bowler stood unlikely to play during the Western Australia Test, as Hazlewood prepares to team up fellow quicks Starc and Boland forming the fast bowling unit

The captain, rehabilitating from spinal concerns, appears to be likely to comeback for the Brisbane match in Brisbane starting on 4 December

Top-order player Smith takes over leadership during the captain's recovery

Following other the Australia players, Hazlewood is involved in recent matches of state games ahead of the Ashes

Before this week, he had not played a first-class match for New South Wales for over twelve months

He experienced stiffness in his hamstring during the final stages of Victoria's second innings during the match and was substituted taking preventive measures

Both players came out to bat during their team's second batting effort as they lost by 300 runs

"We're a week away before the international cricket - typically prefer the side of caution," commented Cummins

"They wanted to find out the nature of the problem before pushing it that could worsen the condition"

"Uncommon to see him upbeat, making it encouraging to see him smiling"

"He understands his physique thoroughly. It seemed he felt slightly anxious (and) wanted to get it checked out"

The bowler collected 57 caps with the national team in limited-overs formats

The yet-to-debut the pace bowler represents additional pace options within the team, acting as backup for the primary fast bowlers

Mary Blake
Mary Blake

Zkušená novinářka se zaměřením na politické dění a mezinárodní vztahy, píšící pro různé české médi od roku 2015.