After sustaining a crushing 295-run defeat in Perth, Australia have suffered another huge blow as senior pacer Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the upcoming 2nd BGT Test due to a side strain.
The 2nd BGT Test will be played in Adelaide from December 6th. It is a day-night Test match to be played with the pink ball.
Hazlewood was one of Australia’s best performers in Perth, picking up 4/29 in India’s first innings, which helped the hosts bowl the visitors out for 150.
The lanky fast bowler also has a terrific record against India in Australia: 47 wickets in 12 Tests at an average of 24 with three five-wicket hauls.
He will be a big miss in the upcoming day-night Test in Adelaide considering what he did in the previous day-night Test against India at this venue. In the 2020 IND vs AUS Test match in Adelaide, Hazlewood picked 5/8 in India’s second innings as the Asian side slumped to their lowest Test score of only 36 runs.
Cricket Australia described Josh Hazlewood’s injury as a “low grade left side injury,” and he would remain with the squad in Adelaide, aiming to recover in time for the 3rd BGT Test, which will start on December 14 in Brisbane. This is the third time in recent years that Hazlewood has suffered a side strain. He sustained similar injuries twice before last year’s Ashes series in England, but since his return, he’s not missed any games owing to injury.
Scott Boland likely to feature in the 2nd BGT Test, replacing Hazlewood; Australia add two uncapped pacers in the squad
Australia have added uncapped seamers Sean Abbott and Brendan Doggett to the squad for the Adelaide Test. But Scott Boland is all but certain to replace Hazlewood in the lineup. Boland has been Australia’s back-up seamer since his arrival on the Test scene in the 2021/22 Ashes series.
He has picked up 35 wickets in 10 Test matches so far at an average of only 20. He featured in the WTC 2023 final against India and picked up five wickets in the match, helping Australia win the final.
Boland will feature in the Prime Minister’s XI vs India warm-up match, a two-day game from November 30 in Canberra. Boland, however, hasn’t played a Test match since the 2023 Ashes.
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