Josh Hazlewood will return to the Australian team for the crucial Gabba Test against India after missing just one game with a side strain, pushing out Scott Boland.
Captain Pat Cummins confirmed Hazlewood’s readiness on match eve, after he had an extended practice bowl at Allan Border Field on Thursday afternoon following a rapid relocation from the team’s main session at the Gabba.
Josh Hazlewood has proven his fitness to the selectors and will play at the Gabba.Credit: Getty Images
Hazlewood had earlier stated that Cummins recognised the need to protect him from bowling too much after he became sore during the Perth Test, allowing for a more rapid recovery.
“It’s not necessarily your typical side strain, which I’ve had a couple in my career,” he said. “You’re running into bowl and you just grab your hat and you’re off and you’re out for six weeks. It’s not that sort of side strain. It’s from sort of repetitive use.
“It’s caused me a lot of trouble over the last few years, but perfect prep this year, and played the shield game and ticked all that off.
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“I was very happy where I was and it still happened. So I was pretty annoyed there for a few days. There was plenty of meetings and stuff from CA’s point of view, physios, doctors, all that stuff. So [we had to] come up with a few options and see if we can stop it from happening again.”
Boland, who took four cheap wickets against South Africa in his only previous Gabba Test, will be in contention to return to the team for the MCG Test on Boxing Day.
More to come
