Josh Hazlewood Could Miss Entire Ashes Due To Hamstring Issue: Reports

In what comes as a body blow to Australia less than a day after their famous victory in the first Test against England in Perth, ace speedster Josh Hazlewood is a serious doubt for the remainder of the series, with his hamstring injury believed to be more severe than initially feared.

Hazlewood picked up the injury in the Sheffield Shield encounter against Victoria two weeks back, where he was ‘sent off the field’ by New South Wales captain Steve Smith after bowling just nine overs in the second innings. Hazlewood was initially cleared, but a follow-up report ruled the speedster out of the Perth Test.

Now, the 34-year-old is reportedly a serious doubt for the remainder of the Ashes.

“If these whispers I’m hearing about Hazlewood are right, we’re not gonna see him again [for the rest of the series] if the worst comes to fruition,” reputed journalist Peter Lalor said on 7cricket. 

Should Hazlewood not feature in the remainder of this Ashes, that will make it the second consecutive summer he’d have missed due to injury, with him also missing majority of the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to a calf injury. He also missed four of the five Ashes Tests in 2021/22 due to injury, and has featured in just 14 home Tests since Boxing Day 2019. Mitchell Starc, in comparison, has played 26 home Tests during the same period. 

The good news for Australia, though, is that skipper Pat Cummins is on track to make a swift comeback, and has a serious chance of being fit for the second Test in Brisbane, starting on December 4th. Notably, this time around, the day-night Test is being played at the Gabba.