Cricket Australia said that the fast bowler Josh Hazlewood will play no further part with the ball in Australia’s opening Test match against New Zealand due to a hamstring injury.
Hazlewood ruled out For rest of Test due to Hamstring Injury
Hazlewood came off the field on Friday after pulling up during his run-up just eight deliveries in New Zealand’s first innings and didn’t return. Later overnight scans have confirmed that a hamstring strain was at fault. His future for the remainder of the three-Test series remains uncertain, with the right-armer’s recovery to be monitored in the coming weeks.
Hazlewood said, “It’s a low grade hammy tear. I’m no doctor but I think [recovery will be] a couple of weeks. It’s a tight series so it will be tough work to get up for the last Test. But we’ll see how we go. I haven’t [done a hamstring], no. I must be getting older. It’s something new as a quick so I’ll do a bit of rehab and get back on the park as quick as I can.”
He further added, “It’s a little bit sore this morning. Obviously, I knew as soon as I did it that there was a tear there. It’s not too bad so we’ll play it by ear the next couple of weeks. Bowlers know their bodies pretty well these days so we know when something is not quite right. The best thing to do was to come off and get it checked out. The ball was coming out really nicely and I had a couple of hours under lights up my sleeve but yeah, unlucky. ”
AUS vs NZ 1st Test Result Highlights
Earlier, Hazlewood missed two Tests against Sri Lanka last summer because of a back problem but has played in Australia’s past seven Tests, including briefly in Perth, having been overlooked for the Ashes opener in Birmingham.
While Hazlewood begins the recovery process, Pattinson, 29, is in prime position to return to the side for the first time since the third Ashes Test at Leeds. He was reportedly dropped from the squad ahead of the first Test in Brisbane because of a code-of-conduct offence during a Sheffield Shield clash against Queensland but returned to the Test squad in Adelaide and has been 12th man in Perth.
Now, both the teams have been reduced to 10 players each with New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson restricted to just 11 overs of bowling on the opening day of his debut Test after picking up a calf injury. However, both players are set to bat if and when required during the remainder of the pink-ball Test.
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