Hazlewood faces a tight timeline to make an appearance in the Ashes series due to a further physical setback in his journey back to full fitness.
An Episode of Mixed Rehabilitation.
It has been a case of one step forward two steps back for the seasoned campaigner whose progress had been promising from a recent hamstring issue, which occurred during a Sheffield Shield match. He was scheduled to link up the Test side in Brisbane earlier this week to continue his recovery electing to stay in Sydney.
“The pace bowler experienced soreness in his lower leg as part of his rehab {from a recent hamstring injury|from the earlier muscle issue|,” an official confirmed. “The concern is considered minor, with expectations he will restart his bowling program soon.”
First-Choice Attack Plans Disrupted.
The selectors are confronting the possibility that their premier fast bowling unit may not play together this series. He was recently seen working at practice sessions recently.
Notably, he used a traditional red cricket ball, rather than the pink variant, in a sign he was pushing for the upcoming match at Adelaide Oval. His participation for that Test is now less certain for Hazlewood about Cummins, who was considered in the ongoing Gabba Test.
Bailey's Assessment On Player Fitness.
The chief selector confirmed confirmed Cummins was a chance of playing, his withdrawal coming at the last minute due to the lingering impact {of a back injury|from a back complaint|. He assured that Cummins will be ready at the Adelaide Oval, but the Brisbane match came too soon.
“He was potentially available though with certain limitations,” the selector explained. “Now he’s into that mode of consecutive bowling workloads. A longer build-up is definitely preferable.”
Bailey said Nathan Lyon , dropped for the second Test. With the captain set to team up with Starc, and likely Scott Boland, the spots for fast bowlers like Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser for the Adelaide fixture. Starc has been the mainstay of the attack in the absence Hazlewood and Cummins, taking 16 wickets with a remarkable average.
