NEW DELHI: Australia's captain Pat Cummins has announced that Josh Hazlewood will not participate in the remaining matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series due to a calf injury.
Hazlewood experienced discomfort in his right calf during Tuesday morning's warm-up sessions in Brisbane. After bowling a single over in the first session of Day 4, he left the field due to calf discomfort.
The 33-year-old underwent medical scans to evaluate the injury's extent. The results confirmed a strain in his right calf, forcing him to withdraw from the series.
"In terms of Joshie (Hazlewood), yes, obviously 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 told ABC Sport after Wednesday's play.
On Tuesday's Day 4, Hazlewood arrived late and showed signs of difficulty during his bowling spell, with speeds rarely surpassing 131 kmph. He was observed in a lengthy discussion with Cummins, Steven Smith, and physio Nick Jones during the drinks break before departing the field.
Addressing his series withdrawal, Hazlewood shared his thoughts: "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!"
For the third Test, which resulted in a draw, Australia made a single change, with Hazlewood replacing Scott Boland. Boland had previously claimed five wickets in Adelaide when Hazlewood was absent due to a side injury.
With Hazlewood now unavailable, Boland is likely to return for the Boxing Day Test, commencing December 26 at the MCG.
It's worth noting that Hazlewood injured the same calf in August before Australia's limited-overs UK tour, causing him to miss the Scotland T20 series, though he later played against England.
