In a major blow to the Australian cricket camp, fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the second Test of the five-match Border Gavaskar Trophy against India, slated at the Adelaide Oval. He suffered a low-grade left-side injury and will miss his first Test since the Ashes 2023.
Hazlewood was Australia’s leading wicket-taker at the Perth Stadium with five wickets across two innings. Scott Boland likely will get an opportunity to showcase his ability in his absence. The Victorian has bucketed 28 wickets at an impressive average of 12.21 at home conditions. The last time he was a part of the Aussie setup was for a similar reason when Hazlewood missed out on a few games of the Ashes 2023.
This leaves Josh Inglis as the only spare batter in the squad. It won’t be surprising to see Webster leapfrog the wicketkeeper-batter and get an opportunity in the middle order, adding bowling strength to the home side.
India was scheduled to face Australia Prime Minister’s XI in a two-day match from November 30. However, persistent rain at the Manuka Oval has caused a delay in the toss.