Josh Hazlewood, one of prominent fast bowlers in the Australian cricket team, will not play against India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final which will begin on Wednesday at The Oval.
He will be replaced by Scott Boland in the starting XI for the one-off match.
In the most recent Indian Premier League, Hazlewood only participated in three games due to a side injury that flared up along with a left Achilles problem.
The 32-year-old was hoping to play in the WTC final, but Michael Neser was selected instead of him in their 15-man roster, despite the fact that Boland is most likely to be Australia’s third fast bowler, joining skipper Pat Cummins and left-armer Mitchell Starc.
Josh was really close to receiving the go-ahead, but we are aware that this is not a one-off test match for us due to our impending schedule, according to chief of selectors George Bailey on Sunday.
Regarding the upcoming Ashes series against England, which starts on June 16, Bailey noted, “This will give Josh the best preparation leading into Edgbaston.” “We will need all of our fast bowling resources with six test matches in just over seven weeks.”
Sean Abbott and Neser have forgone their county responsibilities in favor of training with the Australian team in Beckenham. “Michael’s county form has been strong, and knowing that he was going to be close by allowed for him to keep playing and for us to be able to call on him,” Bailey said. He adds a lot of strength to the bunch of fast bowlers.
The quick turnaround between the WTC final and the Ashes series, according to coach Andrew McDonald, required efficient utilization of their fast bowling resources. We are eager to play in the WTC final, but after that, McDonald said reporters, “we have to quickly turn our attention to England and the Ashes.” “So there will always be management-related considerations… There might be some moving elements amid the quicks, in my opinion, he reiterated.
