Josh Hazlewood cops cruel Ashes blow as selectors tipped to make surprise call for third Test
Australian selectors are expected to make several changes to the Ashes team that won in Brisbane, with one star tipped to be left out altogether.
Australian selectors have been tipped to make widespread changes to the team that won in Brisbane after Josh Hazlewood was ruled out for the entire Ashes series after copping a fresh injury.
Hazlewood injured his hamstring in the Sheffield Shield ahead of Game 1, and while ramping up his recovery last week, he suffered a fresh Achilles issue while bowling in the nets.
And Australian coach Andrew McDonald revealed on Tuesday he now won’t feature at all this summer.
“He will be out of the series, and his preparation will then shift towards the (T20) World Cup (in 2026), which is an incredibly important campaign for us,” McDonald said.
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“But unfortunately, Josh won’t be a part of the Ashes. It’s really flat for him. A couple of setbacks we didn’t see coming. We thought he’d play a huge part in the series. We really feel for him that he won’t get that opportunity.”
However, Australia are expected to be boosted by the return of Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon for the third Test in Adelaide, starting next Wednesday.
One would assume that would see Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser make way.
But cricket commentator Gerard Whateley believes Scott Boland is set to be rested for the third Test.
A rest in Adelaide would mean he’d be raring to go for Boxing Day at the MCG, his home pitch.
“I have a suspicion that the plan was to rest Boland for Adelaide, to have him right for Melbourne, because he wouldn’t play those two Tests back-to-back,” Whateley said on SEN. “Cummins into Doggett is natural, and then Lyon returns for one other.
“If I was having a guess, and it’s only a guess, I would guess that Neser would play Adelaide, and that Boland would play Melbourne. They picked the right horse for the right course in Neser in Brisbane, and Boland is the right horse for Melbourne, but it’s a tight turnaround there, and I don’t think they would expose Boland to that.
“I suspect that they have a really good plan in the background, which they might share in hindsight. If I was having a guess, I would say that that’s what will happen.”
Boland has taken seven wickets in the Ashes series so far, and has been one of the most feared bowlers at the MCG and SCG for the past several years, so resting him for the Adelaide Test does make sense.
If he is rested, either Doggett or Neser would likely keep their spot in the side.
The other major decision Australian selectors will have to make is whether or not to pick Usman Khawaja.
The veteran opener was ruled out of the second Test with a back injury, with Travis Head moving up to the top of the order.
Many feel Khawaja’s days in the team are over but McDonald even flagged the possibility of Khawaja batting in the middle order, similar to what happened in Perth when he was not allowed to open due to the time he spent off the field.
But Australian cricket great Brett Lee tipped Khawaja to return to opener for the Adelaide Test, with Head moving back to down the order, and Josh Inglis making way.
“If Usman’s fit and they back him in, and they want him to play, he’ll go and open again, because I think he’s earned that right,” Lee told foxsports.com.au.
“If they go down the road that he’s passed it and he’s not in our forefront team, well then they’ll have to look at what they do with Head. Do they push him to the middle order and then go with someone else up the top? I don’t think they will.
“I think that if Khawaja is 100 per cent fit, they will give him that opportunity, because he’s earned that right, in my opinion, because of the way he’s played the last four years.”
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Originally published as Josh Hazlewood cops cruel Ashes blow as selectors tipped to make surprise call for third Test
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