Hazlewood ruled out of second Test; Abbott, Doggett added to squad

Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the second Test against India with a side strain.

Sean Abbott and Brendan Doggett, who are both uncapped at Test level, have been added to Australia’s squad although Scott Boland will be Hazlewood’s likely replacement in the XI for the day-night Test.

A Cricket Australia statement said that Hazlewood had a “low grade left side injury” and he would remain with the squad in Adelaide to work through his recovery.

Hazlewood was the pick of Australia’s bowlers in Perth with 5 for 57 across 34 overs. This will be the first Test that Hazlewood has missed since Headingley in last year’s Ashes which followed a period where he suffered a run of frustrating injuries – including two side strains – while he was also omitted due to conditions on various subcontinent tours. Between December 2021 and June 2023 he featured in just four Tests.

Should, as expected, Boland return to the side it would be his first Test since he came in for Hazlewood in that Ashes game at Leeds. He has a stunning record at home with 28 wickets at 12.21 from six matches.

Last season against Pakistan, West Indies and New Zealand, Australia got through all seven Tests with an unchanged attack and last week’s Perth Test marked the 10th consecutive outing where Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc had lined up together.

Abbott, a regular in Australia’s white-ball squads, has often been considered unfortunate not to have earned a Test cap. For Doggett, meanwhile, it has been a rapid return to national contention after he was previously selected for the series against Pakistan in the UAE in 2018. It comes on the back of taking a career-best 6 for 15 for Australia A against India A in Mackay having not been an original member of the squad before being called up as an injury replacement.

Michael Neser would have been firmly in contention for a call-up but suffered a hamstring injury in the second Australia A match at the MCG and is unlikely to be fit until the start of the BBL.

Western Australia duo Jhye Richardson and Lance Morris, who are both centrally contracted, have recently made their returns to Sheffield Shield cricket for the first time this season.

Australia’s selectors had previously added uncapped allrounder Beau Webster to the squad amid concerns over Mitchell Marsh after he pulled up sore following Perth. Josh Inglis, originally selected as the spare batter, remains in the squad but could be leapfrogged by Webster if Marsh is unavailable for Adelaide.

The loss of Hazlewood adds to the uncertainty around Australia heading into the second Test after their 295-run thrashing in Perth. There are question marks over the batting line-up, with Marnus Labuschagne the most under pressure after his twin failures in Perth including 2 off 52 balls in the first innings.

Australia will be begin training in Adelaide on Monday, a day earlier than originally scheduled. India are due to play a two-day game against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra on Saturday and Sunday although heavy rain has put that in doubt. Boland is part of the PM’s XI squad with a view to getting some overs under his belt having played just two first-class games this season.