The Ashes – Josh Hazlewood set to miss Gabba Test:Pat Cummins likely to return on second match against England; AUS lead series 1-0

Australia have suffered a setback ahead of the second Ashes Test at Brisbane, as pacer Josh Hazlewood is set to miss the pink-ball match starting December 29. Hazlewood, who was already ruled out of the opening Test in Perth due to a hamstring injury picked up during the Sheffield Shield, will continue his rehabilitation but is expected to return later in the series. Hazlewood will join the Australian squad in Brisbane to continue his recovery from the injury. The team management remains optimistic about his participation in the remaining matches of the Ashes. Head coach Andrew McDonald confirmed that the fast bowler is progressing through the initial phase of his rehab and might feature later. Australia currently lead the Ashes 1-0 after winning the opening Test in Perth. The second match at The Gabba will be crucial, especially with key fast bowlers working towards a comeback. Australia hope for Hazlewood’s return, set to miss The Gabba Test McDonald stated that the team is confident Hazlewood will play a part in the series even if the timeline is not clear yet. “I know that he will be available at some point during the series. We have got a little bit of that early rehab to go through to formulate where he may plug into the series, but we expect him to take some part in the series,” he added. Pat Cummins likely to return on second match against England Australian skipper Pat Cummins is also nearing his return from injury and could feature in the Brisbane Test. The shortened two-day finish in Perth has adjusted his workload and training plan. He had trained strongly leading up to the first Test and was due to bowl on the fourth day, but that schedule has now shifted after he travelled back to Sydney. Andrew McDonald on Pat Cummins’ availability Regarding Cummins’ availability, McDonald said the decision will be taken closer to the match. “Once we see him again, we will be able to then join the dots as to what that potentially looks like,” McDonald said. “But for those who saw him in Perth, I did say this a while back that he will be up and bowling…and people will be sitting there questioning why he’s not playing.” “It looked like a player who was nearing the completion of his rehabilitation. The intensity was there, the ball speed was there. There are a lot of positives, but now it is just really building that resilience within the soft tissue and making sure that we are not putting him in harm’s way in terms of accelerating it too much.” “But it will be a genuine discussion leading into this Test match. That one may even turn out late for us. A little bit to work through, but it (Cummins’ return programme) is nearing completion, which is really, really positive,” he concluded.