PERTH, Australia (AP) — Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood will miss at least the first Ashes Test against England starting in Perth next Friday with a hamstring injury.
An initial scan showed no serious damage to him, but Cricket Australia said on Saturday a subsequent scan confirmed the strain. He will join captain Pat Cummins for the Perth Test, having seriously depleted Australia's fast attack in the first Ashes match.
Brendan Doggett is set to make his Ashes Test debut after a secondary scan revealed the extent of Hazlewood's injury. Hazlewood suffered a strain injury during Wednesday's first-class Sheffield Shield home match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Hazlewood will remain at home rather than join his teammates on the flight to Perth. It is unclear when or if he will be fit enough to feature in the five-Test series.
It means the hosts will go into the high-profile series without two of their highest-rated Test bowlers, with Cummins and Hazlewood currently ranked fourth and sixth in the international Test rankings.
It will be the first time in almost three years that Australia will play a Test without two of their top three fast bowlers, and only the second time since 2014 that they will play a home Test without Cummins and Hazlewood.
Test team member Sean Abbott was also sidelined as he suffered a hamstring injury during the same game as Hazlewood on the same day.
“An initial scan on Wednesday did not reveal a muscle strain, but a follow-up scan today confirmed the injury,” CA said in a statement on Saturday. “Early imaging may sometimes underestimate mild muscle injuries.”
The bad news about Hazlewood came on the same day England announced good news: fast bowler Mark Wood has recovered from a hamstring injury and is fit for the first Test in Perth.
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