Hazlewood out of second Test, may not return until Boxing Day

Australia’s preparation for the blockbuster Border-Gavaskar Trophy is again in the spotlight after star paceman Josh Hazlewood was sidelined by an injury that could see him out of action until the Boxing Day Test.

The home side’s quest to regain the trophy took a massive hit on Saturday when Hazlewood was ruled out of the second Test with a left side strain sustained in the heavy loss to India in Perth.

Josh Hazlewood during the first Test in Perth.Credit: Getty Images

Selectors added uncapped quicks Sean Abbott and Brendan Doggett to the Test squad, though Victorian cult hero Scott Boland is the red-hot favourite to take Hazlewood’s position in the XI.

Hazlewood’s injury raises further questions over Australia’s build-up for this summer’s blockbuster battle against India.

He is the third member of Australia’s best XI to be either unavailable or under a cloud. Cameron Green was ruled out of the summer with stress fractures in his back after the limited-overs tour of England, while Marsh’s fitness concerns prompted selectors to call in Beau Webster as cover.

Though Test great Ian Healy sympathised with Cricket Australia’s conditioning and medical staff over the difficulty they faced in preparing players for such a cramped schedule, and had no issue with Hazlewood’s preparations, he was critical of their handling of Marsh.

CA conceded this week that Marsh was “underdone” after not playing a competitive game in over a month before the first Test. Marsh’s match tally of 17 overs is the most he has bowled in a Test since the final match of the 2023 Ashes at the Oval.

Though potent on a lively deck on day one, when he took two wickets, Marsh’s pace dropped noticeably in the second innings to below 120 km/h when he claimed 1-65 from 12 overs.

“The fact our physical people can admit Mitch Marsh was underdone is not great,” Healy said. “They all knew he was underdone. He’s been on paternity leave and not rehab. He should be getting enough bowling and fitness. How do they know he was underdone, and why were they allowing him to be underdone?”

Marsh has been nursing an ankle issue that has made it more complex for CA to manage his bowling workloads. The problem was masked when Green was in the side and providing the team with a legitimate fourth seam option.

He could play as a specialist batter next week if selectors believe they do not need extra bowling options in Adelaide, which has generally produced favourable bowling conditions for pink-ball games.

CA’s high-performance boss Ben Oliver this week defended the players’ build-up to the series, in which senior players Steve Smith, Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Travis Head played just the one Shield game, while skipper Pat Cummins did not play any red-ball cricket.

“It’s a very experienced team, and they have had a really consistent approach to the way they have prepared for international series over a long period of time,” Oliver said.

“That has served them well with some really strong performances across formats over the last few years.

“There is a lot of trust and a lot of confidence in the method they are using to prepare.”

CA is targeting a return for Hazlewood in the third Test in Brisbane, starting December 14, but former team doctor Peter Brukner cast doubt if the giant quick would return in time. Hazlewood will be with the squad in Adelaide, a move CA says shows the injury is not serious.

Though Hazlewood’s injury has been described as “low-grade” by CA, such strains can be troublesome to manage given it is to a part of the body that is commonly referred to as a fast bowler’s grunt muscle, which helps them generate power and speed.

“Three weeks would be about as good as you could do it,” Brukner told this masthead. “There’s a risk of recurrence so you have to be careful about that. Even three weeks is pushing it.

“You’ve got to build up your bowling after time off. He’d be struggling.”

Hazlewood, ninth on Australia’s all-time wicket-takers list with 278, was clearly the home team’s best bowler in the first Test, returning match figures of 5-57 from 34 overs.

Mitch Marsh pulled up sorer than expected from the Test at Optus Stadium.Credit: AP

The giant quick was instrumental to Australia’s pink-ball rout over India in the 2020-21 series when he claimed 5-8 in the visitors’ infamous second innings of 36. Boland, though, has also been a force under lights, claiming seven wickets at 13.71 from two day-night Tests.

Boland last donned the baggy green in the third Test of last year’s Ashes, when he went wicketless and conceded 84 runs.

“I probably expected to play at some stage last summer. There were seven Tests, including the New Zealand Tests,” Boland said. “Those guys have been so resilient, they don’t miss too many and that means no one wants to give up their spot at any stage.

“I probably thought the opportunity might have passed [after the Ashes], but I’ve worked really hard in the off-season, and got my body in a spot where I’m confident if I get another chance, I’ll be able to perform.”

As for his own lead-in to the Adelaide Test, Boland said nothing will change.

“I still want to get some overs in and then head to Adelaide on Monday,” he said.

“A couple of days ago [I found out about Hazlewood injury]. I got a call from Ronnie [national coach Andrew McDonald] just giving me a bit of a heads-up. Nothing in my prep changes.

“[It’s] obviously unfortunate for Josh, but a good opportunity for whoever they want to pick for Adelaide. They’ll probably make a call a bit closer to the match.

“I haven’t played a heap of cricket … but feel like I’ve played enough cricket to feel like I’m in a really good spot. My body’s feeling really good ... and I’m confident how the ball is coming out if things clear up.”

The generational trio of Hazlewood, Cummins and Starc have all played in Australia’s past 10 Tests, and any further injuries will significantly test Australia’s thinning pace stocks.

Perennial squad member Michael Neser is unavailable due to a hamstring injury. A force on pitches with assistance to the quicks, he would most likely have been in serious contention to play under lights in Adelaide – the scene of his only two appearances in the baggy green.

Next-generation quicks Lance Morris and Jhye Richardson are both on the comeback trail from injury.

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