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Josh Hazlewood Suffers YET ANOTHER Injury Setback As Ashes Return Looks Unlikely
Follow UsHazlewood has been plagued by injuries over the last few years
Injury woes continue to deepen for Josh Hazlewood as the Australia speedster has suffered a fresh setback, casting a huge doubt on his participation in the ongoing Ashes. Hazlewood picked up a hamstring injury in the lead-up to the first Test in Perth, in the Sheffield Shield clash between New South Wales and Victoria, and the severity of the injury ended up ruling him out of the first two games.
Now, on top of the hamstring injury, Hazlewood has suffered a minor Achilles injury.
“Josh Hazlewood reported Achilles soreness this week during his rehabilitation from a recent hamstring injury,” a Cricket Australia spokesperson said in a statement, reported Sydney Morning Herald.
“It is a low-grade issue, and he is expected to recommence running and bowling next week.”
Hazlewood was recently bowling in the nets alongside skipper Pat Cummins, with the hope of returning for either the third or the fourth Test, but this fresh injury setback serves as a huge blow for both him and Australia.
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 the 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.
Australia have already fielded all three of Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser in the first two Tests, and a recall for Jhye Richardson could be on the cards should Hazlewood not recover in time for the latter part of the series. Richardson, who himself has had a history of injury problems, is currently representing Australia ‘A’ against England Lions and earlier today took a four-wicket haul, getting through 12 overs in total.
The good news for Australia, though, is that Cummins looks almost certain to make a comeback in the third Test, which will be played from December 17 in Adelaide.