Australia skipper Pat Cummins has confirmed that fast-bowler Josh Hazlewood will be out of the remainder of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series due to a calf injury.
Hazlewood sustained a right calf injury while warming up for Australia on Tuesday morning. He bowled one over in the opening session on Day 4 before leaving the field with calf soreness.
The 33-year-old pacer later went for scans to understand the extent of the injury. Medical scans later revealed that he had strained his right calf, and hence, the pacer missed the remaining part of the series.
"In terms of Joshie (Hazlewood), yeah, definitely not ideal. He'll miss the series. Yeah, take a few weeks to recover and then build up again from there. So not sure exactly when that looks like, but it'll be at least this series," Cummins said to ABC Sport following play on Wednesday.
Hazlewood came in late on the field at the beginning of Day 4 play on Tuesday and seemed to struggle when he started his spell, reaching the speed of 131 kmph very rarely. He was seen during the drinks break after that over holding an extended discussion with Cummins, Steven Smith, and physio Nick Jones before leaving the field.
Reflecting on missing the rest of the series due to injury, Hazlewood expressed disappointment but insists that he will bounce back stronger.
"Disappointed that I couldn't bowl for the Gabba Test due to injury, but it's all part of the game. I'll be working hard to bounce back and get back to doing what I love with the team. Good luck to the team! Wishing the lads all the best for the remaining series – let's get the win!" he posted on X.
Australia made just one change in their playing 11 for the third Test, which ended in a draw, as Hazlewood replaced Scott Boland, who then took five wickets in the Adelaide Test when Hazlewood sat out due to his side injury.
In Hazlewood's absence, Boland is firmly back in contention to play the Boxing Day Test, starting from December 26 at the MCG.
Notably, Hazlewood injured the same calf in August before Australia's limited-overs tour of the UK, which saw him miss the T20 series against Scotland, but he played in matches against England.
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