Days after returning home from IPL due to injury, Josh Hazlewood declared fit for WTC Final

Now, after returning to Australia, scans have revealed that Hazlewood is fully fit and Cricket Australia has said that the premium pacer is available for selection for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final.

Days after returning home from IPL due to injury, Josh Hazlewood declared fit for WTC Final

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bowler Josh Hazlewood did not feature in a lot of games for his team in the sixteenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). In fact, Hazlewood played in only three matches wherein he scalped three wickets. While the Australia pacer did not feature in the initial phase of the tournament because he was recovering from Achilles tendinitis, Hazlewood flew back home days before RCB’s last league game after he complained about side soreness.

RCB team director Mike Hesson officially ruled Hazlewood out of the team’s last league game against Gujarat Titans (GT) which was also a must-win game. Now, after returning to Australia, scans have revealed that Hazlewood is fully fit and Cricket Australia has said that the premium pacer is available for selection for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final against India.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I42Q6YAPTM&pp=ygUXam9zaCBoYXpsZXdvb2QgaXBsIDIwMjM%3D

“Josh Hazlewood returned home from the IPL last weekend after experiencing minor side soreness after the completion of his most recent IPL match,” a CA spokesperson was quoted saying by Cricbuzz.

Related: “Too tired and heartbroken,” Fans left fuming after another group stage exit for RCB in IPL 2023

“After a brief and precautionary rest period, Hazlewood returned to high intensity bowling last week and will continue to increase his bowling workloads in preparation for the WTC and Ashes series. Hazlewood is considered fit and available for the WTC and Ashes Series.”

Another group-stage exit for RCB

faf du plessis

With RCB missing its key players like Josh Hazlewood and Rajat Patidar who was ruled out with a heel injury, the Faf du Plessis-led team suffered another heartbreak as RCB were knocked out from group stage. While they were able to qualify for playoffs for three seasons in a row, RCB were abysmal in IPL 2023 and eventually bowed out after losing to GT on Sunday.

Captain Faf du Plessis also admitted that they did not deserve to qualify for the playoffs. “We weren’t one of the best teams in this IPL, to be honest, we were lucky to have few good performances, as team, we don’t deserve to be in the Play-offs if we take the whole 14 games, it hurts but we fell short,” said du Plessis post the defeat to GT.

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