Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the Sri Lanka tour

Australia have been dealt a blow ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka. The team’s first-choice fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is set to miss the upcoming series after suffering a calf injury in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.

After getting injured in the Tests against India, Hazlewood was ruled out of the entire series. However, Australia had enough bowling depth in their ranks and Hazlewood’s replacement Scott Bolland played a key role in Australia’s historic 3-1 win.

Hazlewood was injured midway through the third Test which did not allow him to run in the second innings of the match. This affected Australia’s chances as India managed to sneak an equalizer in a rain-affected match.

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Josh Hazlewood is set to miss the Test series against Sri Lanka

Josh Hazlewood had earlier stated that he is targeting a return to the Test team from the tour of Sri Lanka. However, he is now set to miss the entire series as the selectors do not want to rush him.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Hazlewood is unlikely to play Tests in Sri Lanka. He might have struggled to bowl even if fit due to Australia’s great depth in the fast bowling attack.

Josh Hazlewood is unlikely to feature in Australia’s Test tour of Sri Lanka @tomdecent pic.twitter.com/yDV8ZiKEEu

– 7cricket (@7cricket) January 7, 2025

Despite the absence of Pat Cummins, Australia have world-class pacers in Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland. While Starc is one of the strong fast bowlers in subcontinent conditions due to his ability to swing the ball backwards, Boland performed exceptionally well in the recent series against India.

Spin to play a role

Spin is likely to play a big role in the series against Sri Lanka which means Todd Murphy and Matthew Coneman will be named in the touring squad. Nathan Lyon could potentially partner one of these spinners depending on the opposition and circumstances.

Selectors will finalize the 16-member Test squad on January 8 but an announcement is due to be made the following day. With Australia having already qualified for the World Test Championship final, the selectors are unwilling to take any risks with Hazlewood.

Josh Hazlewood played the first Test against India but did not play the second Test in Adelaide. He returned for the third Test in Brisbane but was injured midway through and was ruled out of the next two matches.

Australia reaches World Trade Center final

After the fifth Test against India, Australia have confirmed their place in the WTC final where they will face South Africa in June at Lord’s. This will be the second consecutive final for Australia after winning the title the last time.

Josh Hazlewood will now have his eyes on the Champions Trophy which starts in February this year. Hazlewood will be one of the best fast bowlers for his team given his experience and skill in such conditions.