Josh Hazlewood joins Mitchell Starc on injury list, set to miss first half of Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Injuries kept him out of the team for a long time. In the only four Tests he played in the last two years, Hazlewood failed to be there for the whole series and played mostly the first match of the series.
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Josh Hazlewood joins Mitchell Starc on injury list, set to miss first half of Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Pat Cummins and his men are set to miss the services of their seasonal pacer Josh Hazlewood for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting on February 9, in Nagpur. His availability for the second Test in Delhi also hangs in the air, given the short rest between the matches.
“Not sure about the first Test. It’s still a few days away but it’s sneaking up pretty quickly. The 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 told Cricbuzz before Australia’s final session at the KSCA Stadium in Alur on Sunday (February 5).
The 32-year-old picked up an Achilles injury in his left leg during the Sydney Test against South Africa last month. He hasn’t bowled during the Aussies practice camp and is expected to do so on Tuesday (February 7) in Nagpur. “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,” he added.
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Josh Hazlewood focuses on Tests for the next 12 months
Injuries kept him out of the team for a long time. In the only four Tests he played in the last two years, Hazlewood failed to be there for the whole series and played mostly the first match of the series. After playing the opening Test against West Indies in Perth, his side strain ruled him out from the next three matches. Then in the Sydney Test against the Proteas, he injured his Achilles.
His absence is set to give Scott Boland his chance to play his maiden overseas Test. At the same time, the Aussies won’t have their experienced spearhead Mitchell Starc for the first two halves as well.
Hazlewood struggled to play multiple Tests, but at the same time, he has emerged as one of the star bowlers in the lucrative T20 leagues. However, the Aussie “finds it still plays second fiddle to Test cricket. This series, the Ashes series, home summers are what you play cricket for. I don’t think that will ever change.“
His full focus is on Test cricket for the next 12 months. He is disappointed to miss the first two Tests against the high-profile India tour, but despite the injuries, his focus hasn’t shifted, given the other all-important series coming up after the India tour, the Ashes, and a possible World Test Championship final in June.
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Gouri Das
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