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Hazlewood, who was certain to play in the first Ashes Test at Optus Stadium in Perth, didn’t come out to bowl after lunch on the third day of the ongoing Sheffield Shield match.
Josh Hazlewood suffers injury scare ahead of first Ashes Test. (Picture Credit: AFP)
Ahead of the start of the 2025-26 edition of the Ashes series in Perth on November 21, Australia suffered a big setback on Wednesday, November 12, when star fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott, who are both picked for the series opener at Optus Stadium, suffered injury scares. Hazlewood and Abbott are playing for New South Wales in their Sheffield Shield 2025-26 match against Victoria at Sydney Cricket Ground these days, but both of them didn’t take the field after lunch on the third day.
According to ESPN Cricinfo, “The pair did not appear after the lunch break on day three, having left the field during the first session, and it’s understood they are being assessed. The exact nature of any injury had yet to be confirmed by officials.”
Hazlewood, who has been in red-hot form these days, was certain to play for the Baggy Greens in the series opener. In case he misses out on playing in the first Test due to a fitness-related issue, it will be a big setback to the hosts, who are already without the services of captain and legendary pacer Pat Cummins.
Hazlewood bowled a total of 18 overs for New South Wales in the first innings of the ongoing match and nine in the second. He remained wicketless in the first innings but dismissed Victoria wicketkeeper Sam Harper in the second. Harper was caught by Abbott, who finished with figures of 4 for 18 in the second innings.
Apart from Hazlewood and Abbott, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland are also playing in the ongoing match at SCG.
Starc and Lyon picked up four wickets each for the hosts in the first innings, and Boland finished with figures of 2 for 27 in the first innings on Tuesday.
If Hazlewood and Abbott fail to get fit in time, then Brendan Doggett will get a chance to make his Test debut for Australia in Perth. The 31-year-old pacer who has 190 wickets to his credit in 50 first-class matches picked up 5 wickets for 66 runs in 19.2 overs for South Australia against Tasmania in the first innings of the Sheffield Shield match played in Hobart on November 10.
November 12, 2025, 09:45 IST
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