Josh Hazlewood, a fast bowler for Australia, has been ruled out of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India. Scott Boland is expected to replace Hazlewood in the playing XI for the one-off match that will begin at The Oval on Wednesday.
Hazlewood was only able to participate in three games during the most recent season of the Indian Premier League because of a flare-up of an old side ailment and a problem with his left Achilles.
The 32-year-old had high hopes of participating in the WTC final, but he was replaced by Michael Neser in their 15-man roster. Despite this, Boland is set to be Australia’s third fast bowler, joining the likes of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.
“Josh was very, very close to being given the green light to be able to play,” said the chief of selectors, George Bailey, on Sunday. “However, we are cognizant that our upcoming schedule means that this is not a one-off test match for us,” Bailey said.
Bailey stated that “this will give Josh an ideal preparation leading into Edgbaston,” in reference to the first match of the Ashes series against England, which will take place on June 16.
We will need every one of our fast bowling options since we have six test matches coming up in a little over seven weeks.
Neser and Sean Abbott have renounced their responsibilities with their respective counties and have instead been training in Beckenham with the Australian squad.
“Michael’s county form has been strong, and knowing that he was going to be close by allowed him to keep playing and for us to be able to call on him,” said Bailey. “Michael’s county form has allowed us to call on him.”
As a member of the fast-bowling group, he is a fantastic asset to have at your disposal.
Andrew McDonald, the team’s coach, remarked that the quick turnaround time between playing in the WTC final and starting the Ashes series required careful use of the team’s fast bowling resources.
McDonald told the press, “We’ve got the WTC final to play, which we are excited about, but on the back of that we have to quickly turn our attention to England and the Ashes.” “On the back of that we have to quickly turn our attention to England and the Ashes,” McDonald said.
Therefore, there will always be factors to consider about management… My guess is that there are some moving pieces hidden among all the sticky situations.