Just days before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is set to begin, the visitors have suffered a major setback as Josh Hazlewood is set to miss the opening match in Nagpur on February 9th. Furthermore, there is a possibility that he may not be available for the second match in Delhi either.
Hazlewood has confirmed that he is yet to recover from an Achilles injury on his left leg, which he sustained while bowling in the Sydney Test against South Africa last month. As a result, the pacer has been unable to actively participate in the pre-series camp and is expected to resume bowling on February 7.
His absence will provide an opportunity for Scott Boland, who could be making his debut in an overseas Test. Australia will also be without the services of Mitchell Starc for the initial part of the series.
“Not sure about the first Test. It’s still a few days away but it’s sneaking up pretty quickly. Second one is obviously straight after as well. So, we’ll play it by ear over the next week and next few days and hopefully Tuesday goes well,” Hazlewood was quoted as saying on Sunday.
“Just a bit of workload management at the moment. Just managing the Achilles. I was bowling a fair bit leading into the tour at home and sort of just pushing up against it. Probably wasn’t recovering as well as I would have liked between each session so thought we’d give it a few days here straight of the bat and try and get over the hump and have a bowl from Tuesday on (in Nagpur) and hope it goes well,” he added
Hazlewood has been plagued by injury woes over the past two years, featuring in only four Tests during this time. He was part of Australia’s playing XI in the first Test against West Indies at home, shortly after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup held in the country. However, he was forced to sit out the next three games due to a side strain. The pacer then attempted a comeback in the Sydney Test, only to suffer an Achilles injury.
Australia is in a prime position to qualify for the World Test Championship Final in June, with the Cummins-led side topping the standings and needing only one successful result in India to secure their spot.
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