Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was sidelined for the remainder of the Ashes series against England on Tuesday due to an injury setback.
Hazlewood missed the first two Tests due to hamstring and Achilles issues, and coach Andrew McDonald informed reporters that he will miss the next three games.
“Really flat for him. A couple of setbacks that we didn’t see coming,” McDonald said. “We thought he’d play a huge part in the series. But really feel for him that he won’t get that opportunity.”
Now, Hazlewood’s target is to be completely fit for the February start of the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Pat Cummins, another fast bowler, is expected to take over as captain when Australia attempts to wrap up the series in the third Test in Adelaide next week.
Due to a lower back injury, Cummins, 32, has not played since the July tour to the West Indies. According to McDonald, Cummins was prepared to play after enduring a workload akin to a game during training last week.
“This is something we’ve done with Pat before with longish layoffs, where we’ve put some time and effort into rebuilding his body,” said McDonald.
“He simulated pretty much what a match will look like out there with multiple spells. So we feel as though he’ll be as best prepared as can be.”
Despite battling a left side niggle at the Gabba, Mitchell Starc, who leads the bowling charts with 18 wickets in the first two Tests, would be fit for Adelaide, according to McDonald.
