Australia have suffered a massive blow ahead of the second Test against India in Adelaide as star pacer Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the game with a "low-grade left side injury."
Cricket Australia confirmed the development, which marks Hazlewood’s first missed home Test against India. The second Test will be played with the pink ball at the Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10, with Australia trailing the five-match series 0-1.
Uncapped pacers Sean Abbott and Brendan Doggett have been included in the squad. However, it is likely that Scott Boland, a member of the original squad, will replace injured Hazlewood in the playing XI.
Boland, who last featured in the 2023 Ashes Test at Leeds, is likely to play the warm-up match for Prime Minister’s XI against India before the Adelaide Test.
Hazlewood’s absence comes as a body blow for the Aussies. He had delivered a memorable spell against India in Adelaide during their last day-night Test in December 2021, claiming 5 for 8 in five overs.
During the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener in Perth, Hazlewood returned with five wickets, including the figures of 4/29 in the first innings.
Abbott and Doggett enter the squad on the back of strong performances in the Sheffield Shield. Abbott, with 261 first-class wickets to his name, recently took 4 for 71 against Tasmania. Doggett, who claimed a five-wicket haul against Western Australia, also delivered career-best figures of 6 for 15 against India A earlier this season.
Both pacers have previously been part of Australia’s Test squads but are yet to make their debuts. Doggett was part of the UAE tour against Pakistan in 2018, while Abbott was named in the squad during the 2020-21 home series against India and served as a reserve during last year’s Ashes.
Australia's updated squad for second Test: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Brendan Doggett, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
